Prof. Dr. Dan Mischianu: "Chaos" in hospitals — shortage of nurses and porters

Professor Dan Mischianu, MD, head of the Urology Clinic at "Carol Davila" Military Hospital, has raised the alarm about the state of Romania's healthcare system. Speaking on the "Miza Zilei" programme on Realitatea Plus, the military doctor sharply criticised the statements made by dismissed Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan regarding healthcare, saying that those making such decisions have no idea what hospitals are actually like.

"What is happening right now is a complete shambles. The system is underfunded. Nurses are in short supply. In my ward, we are short of porters. We no longer have porters. Thank goodness for the resident doctors — they help us carry patients from the operating table to the wards," said Professor Mischianu.

More doctors than in 1989, but poorly utilised

The doctor stressed that, although Romania today has more doctors than before 1989, they are not being used efficiently. According to him, in 1989 there were 40,000 doctors, whereas now there are 62,453 licensed practitioners and 9,288 residents. "The workforce exists, but it is not properly organised or properly utilised," he explained.

Three days without operations due to a lack of auxiliary staff

The professor gave a concrete example from his own clinic: that particular week, together with the ward head, he decided that no operations would take place on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, with the exception of emergencies and oncology cases. The reason comes down to a shortage of auxiliary staff: "We tell the patients we are not operating on that they have no appointment scheduled — we don't tell them outright: 'I'm sorry, we have no one to take you to the ward because we have no auxiliary nurses,'" the doctor recounted, adding that an operation does not end when the surgeon places the last suture, but only after the auxiliary nurse has cleaned the operating theatre — which he referred to as "the theatre of battle, the theatre of war".

Professor Mischianu also criticised the way in which the healthcare system is managed: "The public-private partnership has led to poor management of the system. There are managers — I call them 'menials' — all manner of incompetents. The system can no longer function." He warned that, at this rate, "things cannot go on like this for much longer".