The Coalition of Organisations of Patients with Chronic Diseases of Romania (COPAC) has described as "unfair and discriminatory" the fact that the Government adopted on Thursday the exemption from paying social security contributions for sick leave only for pregnant women, mothers with sick children, patients with oncological diseases and emergency cases, without including all chronic patients.
The Government approved, in Thursday's meeting, the exemption from paying social security contributions for sick leave for pregnant women, mothers with sick children, patients with cancer and for emergency cases, announced the spokesman of the Executive, Mihai Constantin.
"No, Mr. Prime Minister, sick leave is not a source of income! They are included in the fundamental right of the citizens of this country and cannot be treated otherwise! And, we, the Coalition of Organisations of Patients with Chronic Diseases of Romania, want to remind you that chronic diseases do not only mean cancer. Other diseases are just as disabling, such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, multiple sclerosis, rare diseases or inflammatory rheumatic diseases. Not to mention tuberculosis or HIV/AIDS. And unfortunately a TB patient has to be on sick leave for six months or two years. (...) You should discover those cases of fraud and not punish everyone, because it is both unfair and discriminatory," say COPAC representatives.
COPAC maintains that it will attack the future law if it is adopted in the form of an emergency ordinance.
"So, at the last minute, COPAC asks you to keep your promises by making sure that chronic patients are not punished twice. If the law comes out in this form, as representatives of patients with chronic diseases and rare diseases we will attack it in every possible way," says the same source.
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