The Romanian College of Physicians calls for a national human resource strategy and a real dialogue on healthcare reform

The Romanian College of Physicians (CMR) calls on the authorities and all political actors to treat healthcare as a strategic priority of the state and to develop a national policy on human resources in the healthcare system, based on real consultation with professional organizations. The call comes in the context of debates on the salary law and the existing tensions in the healthcare system.

• CMR: Healthcare cannot be analyzed only through the prism of budgetary constraints

According to a press release from the Romanian College of Physicians, healthcare policies must be built on the basis of a medium and long-term vision, which ensures the stability of the system, the development of human resources, investments in infrastructure and the improvement of patients' access to quality healthcare services. Representatives of the organization warn that the health system is going through a new period of uncertainty, including regarding the salary law, and decisions must be adopted with responsibility and balance.

• Doctors, the main resource of the system

The President of the Romanian College of Physicians, Prof. Dr. Cătălina Poiană, emphasized that no reform and no investment in infrastructure or technology can achieve its objectives without a coherent public policy to motivate and retain medical personnel.

According to her, a high-performance health system must prioritize constant investments in human resources, retention policies, predictable working conditions, professional development opportunities and recognition of the value of health professions.

• The competition for medical personnel is European

CMR draws attention to the fact that Romania competes with other European countries to attract and retain doctors and other health professionals. "The competitiveness of a health system does not depend only on salaries, but also on working conditions, the infrastructure in which the activity is carried out, the opportunities for professional development and the way in which the doctor is perceived in society”, declared Cătălina Poiană. She showed that the efficiency of the system must be accompanied by appropriate remuneration and by ensuring the necessary conditions for carrying out medical activity safely and for the benefit of patients.

• Call for consultation and long-term policies

The College of Physicians states that it understands the economic constraints and the need to maintain budgetary balances, but believes that any measure that affects the human resource in health must also be analyzed from the perspective of the impact on patients' access to medical services and on the system's capacity to respond to the needs of the population.

The organization argues that institutional dialogue is the only way to identify sustainable solutions and calls on the authorities to develop a national strategy on human resources in health, carried out in consultation with professional organizations and known throughout society.

• Investment in medical personnel, essential for the future of the system

In the opinion of the CMR, protecting, motivating and developing human resources is one of the most important investments for the functioning of the healthcare system. The representatives of the College emphasize that every decision currently adopted in the healthcare field will have long-term effects and that the future of the healthcare system depends, above all, on the people who work within it.