The executive will amend the legislation in the field of social assistance

Prime Minister Marcel Ciolacu announced that the executive will amend the legislation in the field of social assistance as a result of numerous cases of illegal operation and ill-treatment of vulnerable people in several care centers in Romania.

From Monday, discussions will take place in this regard with representatives of non-governmental organizations, and the changes identified as necessary will be included in an emergency ordinance that will be issued by the end of the month.

Also by August 31, a draft law will be finalized and will be sent to parliament immediately after the start of the September session.

Marcel Ciolacu added that the level of penalties for the type of acts found in the dormitories and asylums is also under analysis, and if necessary, the Criminal Code will also be amended, as a result of the situation reported recently in Mures, in which case several investigations are under way, including criminal charges. The prefect and sub-prefect of the county, as well as officials from other institutions with control duties, were dismissed.

The National Anticorruption Directorate and DIICOT have opened investigations into the Mures case. It is about the center in the town of Bardesti, already controlled in the previous action carried out at national level.

There were more residents in the facility than their authorized capacity, and some of them were found in a basement space, dirty, dehydrated, hungry and surrounded by waste.

Head of the Mures Public Health Directorate, Iuliu Moldovan: We, the Public Health Directorate, went to the site with a team of inspectors. Unfortunately, things have been confirmed. The conditions in which they were staying were completely inappropriate. There were 30 people, and the capacity was exceeded. It was authorized for 20, the reason why an assessment of them was made by all competent authorities. We have taken measures on our side. We imposed a contravention penalty of 40.000 lei and prohibited the activity in that basement.

All 30 people accommodated in that unit arrived either at the hospital or in the care of residential centers without problems. Also in the town of Voluntari, in Ilfov county, another home for the elderly was discovered that was operating illegally.

26 people were found there, and some were housed, during the hot weather, in an annex that appeared to be a greenhouse. The center was closed by the Public Health Directorate, and the police imposed a fine of 10.000 lei and opened a criminal case.

Translated by: Radu Matei