Do you trust the public hospitals in your country? 60% of Romanians do not, according to a survey conducted early in 2020. Among the main issues mentioned by Romanians are: old infrastructure with outdated equipment dispersed across multiple locations, insufficient healthcare funding and medical staff leaving the country in search of better pay. In 2018, Romania ranked last in the Euro Health Consumer Index.
The EIB supports healthcare sector in Iasi, Cluj and Craiova
In recent years, Romania has taken steps to improve this situation. One major effort was the decision to build regional emergency hospitals in three large cities – Iasi, Cluj and Craiova. With limited investment in infrastructure rehabilitation, the three planned new facilities are badly needed. The new hospitals will be strategically located to cover a wide area and offer integrated medical services and high-quality specialist care for patients in the region.
Through the PASSA signed in 2019, the EIB will provide technical assistance to the Ministry of Health to support the construction of the three regional hospitals. The estimated project investment cost amounts to €1.6 billion.
Over the next 52 months, the EIB will provide advice on a number of technical aspects such as design review, preparation of the tender dossier for design and construction, property development, hospital management, facility management and similar. The PASSA team will also work closely with a Project Implementation Team at the Ministry of Health to boost its capacity in dealing with complex projects.
Once the three hospitals are fully operational, Romanian patients will benefit from long-awaited, high-quality medical services in their region. This will help build up the public’s confidence in a more efficient and reliable healthcare system.