Minister of Health Sorina Pintea stated on Monday that in the past few years, the National Health Insurance House (CNAS), "by using disproportionate bureaucratic procedures", has blocked the normal functioning of the health insurance card computer system.
"For years, the National Health Insurance House - and I say the House, although I know very clearly which are the departments that have made sure the procedures do not go in the legal and normal direction - by using disproportionate bureaucratic procedures has blocked what normal functioning of the system entails. (...) There are things that have hampered and affected the functioning of this system. I would like on behalf of those with the [National Health Insurance] House - although they are not under the Ministry of Health - to apologize to users and patients who suffer from the system not functioning to the capacity for which it was created," the minister told a press conference.
She announced that the control report from CNAS will be tabled with the National Anticorruption Directorate (DNA) after finalization.
"This control report will be lodged with the DNA. I am here with the head of the Control Corps. We have been analysing since last week what we have in the preliminary report. As far as we are concerned, there are criminal deeds. As a matter of fact we did submit a document last year, but not with DNA. I am convinced that the state institutions will do their job "the minister said.
Sorina Pintea said that on Monday, an emergency procurement procedure will be carried out, given that the contract for the computer system database has expired.
"The system has not been working for 17 days. Today the system has been relaunched, but regretfully, at 10:00 hrs, it began to record interruptions. Following this discussion we had with the representatives of [National Health Insurance] House and of Siveco, several conclusions ensue. However, action is needed in order to be able to urgently resolve the platform's operating mode of operation in the next period. Today, an emergency procurement procedure will therefore be carried out, given that the contract has expired for the database. The procedure has not been finalized because it is being challenged. Thus, in order to ensure the buffer period, without contracting, an emergency procedure is needed. I mention that this procedure should have been conducted when it was found that the procurement procedure for the maintenance contract is not completed. You cannot leave the most complex computer systems in Romania without maintenance," she said.
Pintea stressed that it is important to purchase an additional hardware infrastructure, noting that at the moment 98 percent of the storage capacity is occupied and that this risks endangering the system's operation in the future, as well.