BBC: The Romanian health system is on the verge of collapse while political leaders treat themselves abroad 

The Romanian health system is on the verge of collapse, a documentary made by BBC’s correspondent to Bucharest, Oana Lungescu reads. Romania spends less on Health than any other EU country and due to the deep recession, it plans to spend even less, the journalist reads adding that the subfinancing and the decision of more and more medical personnel to leave the country can endanger the life of the patients.

The BBC correspondent offers the example of Cristian Grigore, a nine year old boy who went to the hospital with a broken hand but died to a severe infection contacted in the hospital. His father declared that doctors ignored their son and they were obliged to buy their own medicine.

The hospital’s management and the doctors that treated the boy were laid off. The current director of the hospital declared that the boy was the victim of the health system. BBC reads that in Romania, all hospital as burried in debts.

Health minister Attila Cseke declared that the system is not collapsing, but it clearly undergoes a difficult moment. He said that authorities needs to find the right way to get the system out of troubles.

According to BBC, Cseke receives the lowest budget of all EU Health ministers, about 3.6% of GDP – about a half than the one allocated in Great Britain and a third of the one allocated by Germany.

Because salaries are extremely low, most doctors decide to leave the country: about 5,000 doctors left for Western Europe starting 2007.