Case of care homes in Bihor: 411 people assessed, 388 relocated, announces the Ministry of Health

The Ministry of Health announced on Wednesday, 1 July 2026, that it is closely monitoring the situation of individuals identified at facilities coordinated by Viorel Pașca in Bihor County. The institution stated that 411 assisted persons had been medically and logistically assessed as part of a large-scale operation involving multiple authorities.

According to the ministry, the intervention was complex due to the vulnerable state of the victims: "Given the complexity of the case and the vulnerability of the victims, rapid and coordinated action was taken on the ground to ensure an emergency medical response," the statement reads.

What happened to those who were assessed

Mixed teams carried out medical triage of those found at the facilities, who received first aid, specialist medical care, and psychological support. The authorities also organised the safe evacuation and transport of individuals, either to medical facilities or to social care centres across the country.

Of the 411 persons assessed:

• 9 remained admitted to Spitalul Județean Oradea;
• 9 remained admitted to Spitalul Municipal Beiuș;
• 5 were taken directly into the care of DGASPC Bihor;
• 388 have already been relocated across the country, the majority having been taken in by the General Directorates for Social Assistance and Child Protection in various counties.

The ministry's commitment to patient dignity

The Ministry of Health states that it is overseeing the transfer and assistance procedures for these individuals: "The Ministry of Health firmly upholds patients' rights and ensures that all current transfer and assistance procedures are carried out in strict compliance with the dignity, safety, and right to appropriate care of citizens," the institution added. The case is being treated as one of high vulnerability, given the large number of people involved and the need for medical, social, and psychological support.

Viorel Pașca questioned at DIICOT

Viorel Pașca, the coordinator of the illegal care homes in Bihor, accused by DIICOT prosecutors of having exploited hundreds of vulnerable individuals under the guise of a humanitarian association, was questioned on Wednesday at DIICOT's central headquarters in București. When asked by journalists about the charges of forming an organised criminal group and human trafficking, he responded only: "You know more than I do." Other individuals under investigation in the same case were also present.

27 searches carried out in the Bihor network case

On Tuesday, DIICOT prosecutors and officers from the Criminal Investigations Directorate carried out 27 searches at residential properties, company premises, and the offices of a public institution in Bihor County. The investigation targets a network which, according to investigators, spent the past six years exploiting hundreds of vulnerable or mentally ill individuals brought from multiple hospitals across the country, under the cover of a humanitarian association.

The network's leader, aged 55, is alleged to have obtained large sums of money through donations, sponsorships, contributions, pensions, disability allowances, funeral grants, and other social benefits.

A family-based organised group, prosecutors say

The investigation was launched following an ex officio referral by the Criminal Investigations Directorate within the General Inspectorate of the Romanian Police. According to investigators, from 2020 onwards, the man, acting as leader, together with three other suspects, allegedly formed a family-based organised criminal group, which a further seven members subsequently joined and supported.