The Regional Oncology Institute in Timisoara must become operational by the end of 2028, Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete announced on Saturday during a visit to the western city.
The project has benefited from two sources of funding. Under Romania's National Recovery and Resilience Plan, the demolition of the old building and the design of the institute were financed, while the actual construction works and the purchase of medical equipment will be covered through the Health Operational Programme, phase two. According to the minister, shifting the investment to a different funding line extends the implementation deadline from 2026 to 2028.
Rogobete stressed that the Regional Oncology Institute will be the only specialised oncology facility in the region and must be completed and put into service by the end of 2028.
He also called on local authorities in Timisoara and Timis County to create administrative consortia between hospitals in order to streamline costs and improve the delivery of medical services. The minister referred to the potential merger of the County Hospital, the Municipal Hospital and the Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases, arguing that maintaining multiple general surgery departments across different public hospitals is inefficient given their low occupancy rates.
By concentrating human and material resources and budgets into unified departments, he said, authorities could develop centres of excellence for specific pathologies and avoid counterproductive competition between public hospitals.
Timis County Council President Alfred Simonis voiced support for merging hospitals and setting up a consortium to ensure unified, centralised management and coherent investment planning. He emphasised the need for dialogue with Timisoara City Hall in order to reach agreement on reforms, adding that the priority should be the quality of medical services rather than disputes over management appointments or procurement decisions.
During his visit to Timis County, the Health minister also toured the Cristian Serban Medical Centre for Children in Buzias and the construction site of a future recovery medical centre in Lovrin.
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