Health Minister Alexandru Rafila cites an “editorial error” after the institution he heads changed just a few days ago a recently approved order that regulates the period during which pharmacies can dispense antibiotics without a doctor’s prescription: in the original order, published in Monitorul Officially the deadline was 72 hours, but only a few days later it was reduced to 48 hours, Rafila cited an “editorial error” in the original order. However, the institution headed by Alexandra Rafila suffered a second serious editorial error in just one week.

Only last week, the Ministry of Health put patients with the most serious chronic diseases on fire: it published a draft regulation in transparency of decision-making, which in black and white provided for the elimination of the possibility that these patients are patients with cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, rare diseases, neurological diseases and cerebrovascular diseases, as well as COVID-19 – to benefit from tests that are carried out within 5 days from the moment of issuing the referral card.

Then the Ministry of Health came back with clarifications immediately after the topic appeared in the public space, saying that it did not intend to cancel the regulation on the priority of these patients for analysis, as it was published in black and white in transparent form on the website -facility website, but only to remove patients with COVID-19 from this list.

Law 95/2006 on health care reform currently stipulates that you have the right to agreed paraclinical tests carried out in an outpatient setting within a maximum of 5 days from the moment of the request (from the moment the referral voucher is issued) – laboratory tests and imaging studies – only if you have been recommended paraclinical studies to monitor a disease from the list of diseases that the Ministry of Health and the National Health Service have decided to prioritize:

• Patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19 after discharge from the hospital or after the end of the isolation period.

• Cancer patients.

• Patients with diabetes.

• Patients with rare diseases.

• Patients with cardiovascular diseases.

• Patients with cerebrovascular diseases.

• Patients with neurological diseases.

• Patients with chronic kidney disease.

A monitoring examination can be carried out in any medical institution under a contract with a medical insurance company – public or private.

In order to receive free assistance from studies necessary for monitoring one of these conditions within a maximum of 5 days, the doctor must write the monitor code on the ticket for sending for tests (example: Monitor 2 for paraclinical studies is necessary for monitoring an oncological condition or Monitor 3 for patients with diabetes ). A referral ticket that does not have a monitor code on it, even if you belong to one of the categories of patients for which priority tests are given, does not give you priority access to tests for 5 days.

These analyzes are theoretically possible above the “ceiling” because the law provides that “even if a provider in a contractual relationship with a health insurance company has exhausted the contracted monthly funds at the time of the request; in order to settle their consideration, the originally stipulated amounts are supplemented with additional documents.”

Last week, the Ministry of Health published a draft emergency order, which provides for the cancellation of the article of the law on monitor tests.

After this topic appeared in the public space, the Ministry of Health came back with clarifications, stating that “for the purpose of informing the public, the draft Law on the Government’s order on amendments to Law No. 1007/2019. 95/2006 on health care reform and on amendments to other health care regulations, published in the transparency of decisions on the website of the Ministry of Health, refers to the amendment to Article IX GEO 44/ 2022 year. In view of the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is proposed to remove from the content of Art. IX GEO 44/2022, as subsequently amended and supplemented, regarding the studies necessary for the follow-up of patients with a diagnosis of COVID-19, after discharge from the hospital or after the end of the isolation period, in the category of monitoring studies.”

According to the Ministry of Health, the article changes and becomes as follows:

“Article IX- (1) For paraclinical studies conducted on an outpatient basis for patients with oncological diseases, diabetes, rare diseases, cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, neurological diseases, chronic kidney disease, the amounts agreed with health insurance companies shall be supplemented after the end of the month in which the paraclinical studies were scheduled, with additional documents.”

Patients with oncological diseases and other chronic diseases will continue to receive the necessary funds for monitoring programs, assured the institution under the leadership of Alexander Rafil.

Read also:

• Why did the Ministry of Health change the terms for over-the-counter antibiotics? Rafila: “Editorial error” / Criticism of pharmacists