17 Ambulance Services Without Funds to Cover September Expenses

Seventeen county ambulance services are facing a shortage of funds needed to cover September's expenses, according to the National Ambulance Trade Union Federation. The Ministry of Health intends to temporarily draw on a reserve fund set aside for crisis situations in order to prevent a shutdown of operations; however, union representatives say that a budget rectification is required for the final quarter of the year.

Operational costs are the main issue

Gheorghe Chiș, President of the Federation, explained that the funding shortfall came to light in August: "We discovered in August that approximately 17 ambulance services no longer have the budget required to cover the month of September."

According to him, funds for salaries are secured through to the end of November, but the problem lies in operational expenditure — fuel, repairs, medicines, and medical supplies. "On the operational costs side, we have a serious problem, and the analysis identified 17 ambulance services that do not have sufficient budget for September," the union leader stated.

The Federation has requested a budget supplement of approximately 90–100 million RON from the Ministry of Health to ensure the continued operation of these services.

Temporary solution from the reserve fund

To avoid disrupting operations during the current month, the Ministry of Health will cover urgent expenses from the reserve fund established for critical situations. "With the support of the Ministry of Health, we will get through this crisis period," said Gheorghe Chiș, whilst warning that the situation remains uncertain beyond 1 October.

Union representatives argue that the absence of a fully empowered government is delaying the adoption of a budget rectification, which is why they are seeking direct support from the head of state: "We are trying to impress upon the President of Romania, first and foremost, that we have no Government," said Chiș.

Risk of prioritising emergency calls

The union leader warns that, without additional funding for the final quarter of the year, ambulance services may be forced to limit their responses to only the most critical emergencies. "We must ensure we can respond to grade-zero emergencies, red code, because those are matters of life and death. The others — patient transport, transfers — regrettably, will not be able to be honoured," explained Gheorghe Chiș.

Union representatives consider the situation to be unprecedented in recent years and warn that, without a swift budget rectification, ambulance service operations could be severely impacted during the cold season, when costs rise significantly. "Something must be done," concluded the President of the Ambulance Federation.