Critical Study Regarding the Evolution of Incomes and Expenses of the Romanian Healthcare System in the Context of Budgetary Decentralization

Abstract

The healthcare system in Romania is continuously under a reform process, in order to make more efficient the medical care and to allow a wide access for the population to the healthcare services. The incomes of the healthcare system mainly come from the contribution to the social healthcare insurance, but also from other taxes, the system also benefits from subsidies from the state budget. The public healthcare expenses have a relatively low percentage from the total public expenses, being mainly oriented towards hospitals, subsidized drugs and primary medical assistance. The integration of Romania into the EU brought for the healthcare system opportunities as well as threats: the increase of the competence and quality of the medical act, the favourable context of decentralization but also the increase of the costs for medical services, the mobility of the patients and the pronounced migration of the qualified medical staff to other countries of the EU. The paper wants to analyse the incomes and expenses from the healthcare, taking into account all these aspects.