Presentation (CTI)

OBJECTIVES: Romania’s public healthcare system is characterized by chronic underfunding, shortages of medical professionals, institutional rigidity, and a strong overlap or symbiosis with private healthcare providers. These characteristics significantly affect both service quality and the sector’s development potential.
METHODS: The analysis used four data sources: the European Union’s Country Health Profiles 2023, the Eurostat database, the Romanian private enterprises registry (Lista Firmelor din România), and the registry of physicians of the Romanian College of Physicians (Registrul Colegiului Medicilor din România). The study focused on data from 2023. The following indicators were examined: the number of healthcare personnel (physicians), the turnover of private healthcare enterprises (converted into euros and calculated per 100,000 inhabitants), and regional inequalities.
RESULTS: In 2023, Romania had 30,689 private healthcare enterprises employing a total of 101,063 people, including medical professionals and auxiliary staff. Across the entire healthcare system, 85,161 active physicians and 24,867 active dentists were practicing. Significant regional disparities were observed per 100,000 inhabitants. In Transylvania, there were 494.57 physicians and 143.89 dentists; in Moldavia, 321.19 physicians and 109.24 dentists; and in Wallachia, 470.82 physicians and 130.51 dentists. Due to regulatory constraints, it is not possible to distinguish whether physicians work exclusively in the public or private sector, or in both. Therefore, private healthcare performance was assessed relative to the total number of physicians. Private healthcare revenue per physician per 100,000 inhabitants amounted to EUR 53,271.93 in Transylvania, EUR 51,538.56 in Moldavia, and EUR 96,695.53 in Wallachia.
CONCLUSIONS: In 2023, Transylvania had the highest number of physicians and dentists per 100,000 inhabitants, while Wallachia employed the largest private healthcare workforce. Per physician, private healthcare revenues were highest in Wallachia, indicating a significant advantage driven by stronger effective demand, despite earlier sectoral development in Transylvania.