Romania approves 2027 unified salary law to boost doctors' and nurses' base pay

Romania's Ministry of Health has introduced a draft law that would overhaul compensation for medical staff starting 1 January 2027. Under the proposal, base salaries for doctors would rise to 16,400 lei for a primary physician, 13,120 lei for a specialist and 7,872 lei for a first‑year resident, while senior nurses would see a base increase to 7,790 lei and debut nurses to 7,011 lei. The reforms aim to unify the current four salary grids, adjust coefficients for work difficulty by up to ±10 percent and shift a larger share of earnings from variable bonuses to fixed wages. The legislation also introduces performance‑based incentives and higher hazard‑pay coefficients, intended to curb the exodus of health professionals and meet conditions of the EU‑funded National Recovery and Resilience Plan. However, the proposal faces legislative hurdles, as the government must finalize related measures to secure billions of EU recovery funds. Critics note that while base pay will grow, overall monthly earnings may increase only modestly because many doctors and nurses currently rely heavily on overtime and on‑call allowances.