Romania passes amendment to unblock 10,000 hospital hiring positions amid staff shortages

The Chamber of Deputies’ Health Committee approved a legislative amendment that allows hospitals to fill budgeted positions that were frozen under the hiring freeze. Former Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete said the change could enable hiring for about 10,000 posts, including doctors, nurses, and support staff, and highlighted that 2,000 newly certified specialists are currently unemployed despite a severe staffing gap of 26,000‑30,000 workers.

Separately, the Vodafone Foundation announced a new investment of more than 9 million lei to equip 19 neonatal intensive care units across Romania with advanced medical devices and tele‑medicine solutions. The program, which has already lowered infant mortality from 10 to 6.6 per 1,000 live births, will upgrade units in hospitals such as Marie Curie in Bucharest and the County Hospital in Constanța, benefiting over 30,000 newborns annually.