Attila Cseke calls for hospital funding reform in Romania

Attila Cseke, who recently served as acting health minister in Romania, has proposed a fundamental change to how hospitals are financed. He argues that budgets should no longer be determined based on the number of hospital beds.

Cseke’s comments follow a dispute between former Prime Minister Ilie Bolojan and former Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete regarding emergency care funding. Bolojan alleged that insufficient funds were allocated to emergency services due to irresponsibility or incompetence, while Rogobete attributed the shortfall to budget cuts aimed at reducing the deficit. Specifically, the health budget for 2026 was reportedly reduced by nearly 4.7 billion lei.

Cseke noted that while he managed to secure emergency care operations through reallocations by late October, he warned that the healthcare system could face collapse in November if a formal budget adjustment is not implemented.