Angela Blanco: Recommendations for Romania in healthcare field focus on informal payments needing to be cut

The recommendations that Romania received from the EC in relation to its healthcare system focused on the informal payments needing to be reduced, Angela Blanco stated on Monday, on behalf of the Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety of the European Commission, at the debate "Patient - Centred Rountable on Working Together for Accessible Health." 

"Throughout the years, Romania received recommendations concerning many aspects of the healthcare systems. (...) However, the latest recommendations received this year focus on informal payments needing to be cut, which is a matter having to do with access, given that the unofficial informal payments act as a barrier to access, while they are related to other aspects concerning the healthcare system, such as workforce health, workforce status, which in Romania is a real challenge, and the recommendation regarding the switch from hospital care to ambulatory care," said Blanco. 

According to her, Romania made progress in terms of recommendations, but "there is still room for improvement." 

"There is still room for improvement. (..) A new set of recommendations is coming in May, as it happens every year. (...) The analysis that we make at the level of the Commission in supporting the recommendations is based on certain information. We are considering the indicators that are comparable at international level," said Blanco. AGERPRES .