Health: 100 million RON missing for salaries, money taken from HIV, Mother-Child, Transfusions

The interim Minister of Health, Cseke Attila, has announced that the healthcare system faces a shortfall of nearly 100 million RON, required to cover salaries and operational expenses. The solution found is temporary, with funds being reallocated from other programmes, and covers requirements only until the end of October.

"For October, we have found an emergency solution, but this is not normal practice," the minister stated, noting that a long-term resolution is only possible through a budget rectification adopted by a fully empowered Government.

Where the money is needed

Of the total sum of approximately 100 million RON, the funds are required as follows:

• 36 million RON – salaries for staff at emergency receiving units (UPU)
• 20 million RON – operational expenses at UPUs
• 30 million RON – operational expenses at UPUs within hospitals administered by local authorities
• 12 million RON – ambulance services

Where the money came from

To temporarily cover these amounts, the Ministry of Health has reallocated funds from other budgetary headings:

• 56 million RON from the Ministry's own programmes, for salaries and operational expenses of UPUs in Ministry-run hospitals
• 42 million RON for UPUs in locally administered hospitals and for ambulance services – funds drawn, amongst other sources, from the salary fund for resident doctors
• 26 million RON from the HIV/AIDS programme
• 3 million RON from the Mother and Child programme
• 27 million RON from the Blood Transfusion programme

"The 42 million RON is being taken from the residents' salary fund. It must be restored by December, as it will be left uncovered following this reallocation," explained Cseke Attila. Regarding the affected programmes, the minister said: "A solution will need to be found for those as well, afterwards."

"This reallocation covers funding through to the end of October. Wherever funds have been taken from, a gap now appears," he further noted.

What is happening with the CNAS funds

The Ministry of Health has also held discussions with the National Health Insurance House regarding the funding of programmes managed by that body. Commitment appropriations of over 600 million RON have been approved, a sum that should cover the expenditure of CNAS programmes through to the end of October.

Requirements for November and December

For the final two months of the year, the required sum is considerably larger. "To cover the Ministry of Health's expenditure for both November and December, we need 980 million RON, which must be secured through a budget rectification," declared Cseke Attila.

The minister also drew attention to the fact that he is in his fifth month as interim head of the Ministry of Health, a status that limits his decision-making capacity: "I have said that the interim role at the Ministry of Health is one with limited powers, and I repeat this. Interim appointments should last a few weeks – we are now in the fifth month of this interim period."

He emphasised that financial problems in healthcare cannot be deferred: "In healthcare, there is no possibility of delay."