PSD and PNL, discussions on pandemic control, access to testing

Social Democratic Party (PSD) MP Alexandru Rafila said on Thursday that several measures for the immediate control of the pandemic, including extended access to testing, were discussed during negotiations with the Liberals on health issues, agerpres reports.

"We talked about some measures for the immediate control of the pandemic, which means: extended access to testing, we also estimated that we can probably set up well over 1,000 centers where testing can be carried out, the problem is also related to access to these tests, it is about providing outpatient medical care and preparing for a possible fifth wave, so that patients can go as close to home as possible for medical services and benefit from investigations; outpatient access to antiviral therapy and, obviously, the stimulation of domestic production of such products. We also discussed other measures related to the rapid evaluation of hospitals and the increase of safety, as much as possible, in intensive care units," said Rafila at the Palace of Parliament.

He added that in 2020 there was an evaluation report in relation to the intensive care units, but this evaluation report was not followed by concrete measures, so that each ward can show a high degree of safety.

"Risks can never be ruled out, we are talking about the old infrastructure. I think that the training of staff is at least as important, because the hardest thing to change, in general, and maybe in Romania in particular, is habit. We need to learn to work according to procedures and avoid routine. (...) The pressure on hospitals can only be released if you enable outpatient assessment. Romania's high mortality, including according to the findings of the World Health Organization experts, is due to the late diagnosis, the extremely late presentation to the doctor of patients, who often come with complicated forms and who can no longer be, from a therapeutic point of view, helped. And that needs to change. We want to encourage testing, to bring it closer to the people and to end this scaremongering presentation, trip to the hospital," Rafila stated after the negotiations between PSD and PNL on the Health chapter of the future government program.