Alexandru Rogobete: "The health strike is a cry for respect, not just a salary claim"

The former Minister of Health, social democrat Alexandru Rogobete, says that yesterday's strike in the health system goes beyond the topic of wage demands and represents a call for respect for medical personnel and for protecting the future of the health system in Romania. In a post published on Facebook, Rogobete claims that the protest reflects the dissatisfaction of doctors, nurses, nurses, stretcher bearers, pharmacists, psychologists, biologists, biochemists, physiotherapists and all professionals who work in hospitals.

• "People work in hospitals, not numbers"

The former minister states that the activity of the medical staff cannot be reduced to strictly budgetary criteria. "Numbers from an Excel table don't work in hospitals. People work. People who go on duty when others are sleeping, people who see their children too little because they save other people's children, people who consume their energy, health and soul so that every patient gets another chance. Their work cannot be reduced to an accounting calculation nor sacrificed in the name of political decisions lacking in understanding the reality in hospitals," Alexandru Rogobete said.

• Call to support the medical system

According to the former minister, the strike represents "a cry for respect, for responsibility and for a health system that cannot function without the people who support it". Rogobete says he will continue to support health workers "through amendments, projects and every fight" to strengthen the health system.

At the same time, he criticizes the current government's approach to health financing, arguing that hospitals cannot be evaluated solely through the lens of the budget deficit. "Health is not an expense. It is an investment in life. And a state that loses respect for those who save lives slowly loses respect for its own future," Alexandru Rogobete also said.