Medical equipment has tripled in 10 years, but waiting times remain at 2–3 months

Over the past decade, public and private hospitals in Romania have come to hold three times as many large medical devices, such as CT and MRI scanners, which are frequently used for investigations and diagnosis. The healthcare system currently has over 650 CT scanners and nearly 400 MRI scanners in total, across both public and private facilities.

Nevertheless, for patients wishing to undergo these investigations using a referral, waiting times remain considerable: two to three months. The situation is different for those who choose to pay for these services — in such cases, an appointment can be obtained as soon as the next day.

Prices for privately paid investigations vary as follows:

• a CT scan costs between 500 and 600 RON;
• an MRI scan can reach 1,000 RON per segment investigated.

According to some estimates, public and private healthcare facilities invested approximately 80–100 million euros in 2025 in the acquisition of large imaging equipment — CT scanners, MRI scanners, PET-CT scanners, and mammography units.

These issues relating to patient access to quality medical investigations will be discussed at the ZF Health & Pharma Summit conference, scheduled for 28 and 29 September.