Romania's Bihor care‑home scandal prompts ministerial overhaul and calls for national protection protocol

On 30 June 2024 DIICOT raided a network of privately‑run care homes in Dumbrava, Bihor, overseen by Viorel Pașca. Authorities found more than 400 vulnerable people – many elderly or disabled – living in conditions described as illegal and unsanitary. The operation led to the emergency relocation of the residents to licensed facilities in 20 counties, with 394 transferred to social‑care centres and 15 placed under medical supervision. A 55‑year‑old man, Gheorghe Gogea, died after being moved to a centre in Mureș, prompting the ministry to await the forensic report.

Interim Labour Minister Dragoș Pîslaru said he was notified of the raid only after it began, criticized the lack of prior coordination, and stressed that Pașca should be presumed innocent until a court decides, while acknowledging that his activity was outside the legal framework of social assistance. Pîslaru highlighted that state institutions had, over the years, sent vulnerable persons to Pașca’s homes and conducted checks without halting the activity. He announced measures to address systemic shortcomings and urged the adoption of a national protocol for protecting vulnerable persons during emergency interventions.

Prosecutor General Cristina Chiriac publicly defended the independence of DIICOT investigators against alleged public pressure. Meanwhile, supporters of Pașca organised protests in Oradea demanding that the homes not be closed. The case has become a flashpoint exposing failures in Romania’s social‑care system and prompting calls for legislative and procedural reforms.