Ministry of Health rejects admittance criteria

The Ministry of Health rejected the admittance criteria proposed by the National Health Insurance House that should have come into force on Wednesday.

Patients with new acute pain or chronic afflictions will be admitted; these provisions come from the 2007 order, that emergency units currently follow, the Minister of Health said.

The National Health Insurance House suggested that only patients in extremely precarious condition, either in a coma or with a high temperature for at least five days, be admitted into hospital.

The Minister of Health finds these criteria unrealistic and impossible to apply, which is why the framework agreement on health care for 2011-2012 will not include admittance criteria.

Only on these terms will the Minister of Health sign the framework agreement.

According to the scheme proposed by the National Health Insurance House, the thirteen criteria included: sudden consciousness loss, in a coma or not responding to stimuli, patients with abnormal pulse would have been admitted only if they had a peripheral frequency below 50 or above 140 a minute.

The scheme also stipulates that patients with high blood pressure, suffering from acute sight or hearing loss or incapable of moving an important body part.
People suffering from persistant fever of over 30 Celsius degrees, abundent bleeding or under suspicion of internal bleeding.

Lucian Duţă, the President of the National Health Insurance House, claims that this new project is meant to support the sick and is also a way of containing the concept of emergency.

Raed Arafat, Under-Secretary of State for Health, claims that this project is subjective in many points and does not benefit patients.

"I am in charge of emergency at the Ministry of Health and I have not been consulted on these emergency admittance criteria. Each criteria must be interpreted in its context, you cannot impose general criteria and apply them for the entire pathology".

"For example, the issue of a five-day-fever: a child with a sore throat and a fever can be sent home, but a 75-year-old man with a fever of 38 has to be admitted and investigated because the fever might a sign of an infection that could lead to blood poisoning", Raed Arafat said.

Atilla Cseke, the Minister of Health, stated that the regulations for the framework agreement will be signed, but the admittance criteria proposed by the National Health Insurance House will not.

Translated by: Gabriela Lungu
MA Student, MTTLC, Bucharest University