Page 47 - THE ROMANIAN HEALTH CARE

Conclusion

The Romanian healthcare sector has its opportunities, but also its fair share of challenges. The

following opportunities and threats can be concluded from the analysis.

Opportunities

1. Large population of 19.6 million people;

2. Population has a low health status compared to other EU countries, giving possibilities

for improvement;

3. Chances in the treatment of various highly prevalent diseases like cardio vascular

diseases, cancer and respiratory system diseases;

4. A population with an increasing disposable income and relatively high out-of-pocket

healthcare expenses;
5. Moderately increasing attention to health among the population;

6. Very significant import of medicines due to low domestic production;

7. Relatively low medicine consumption compared to western markets, but a fast

growing market that is not yet saturated, giving growth opportunities.

8. Good quality medical education and doctors;

9. Development of health economics and health technology assessment.

10. Public health and prevention campaigns

11. Opportunity to outsource medicine production to Romania, now that outsourcing

destinations like India face serious quality problems. Investment needed to upscale
production.
12. A dynamic landscape of private hospitals and the announced development of three

public hospitals;

Threats
1. Increasing income is unevenly distributed over the population, only a part of the

population can afford better healthcare;

2. Low government spending on healthcare, incapacity to deliver healthcare goods and

services to the population;

3. Governmental incapacity to deliver healthcare goods and services to the population;

4. Corruption and political instability;

5. Focus on price in procurement, less on quality;

6. Government policy on medicine pricing;

7. Parallel trade.

The economy is growing at a fast pace, a middle class with disposable income is developing.

Economic growth is mainly consumption based for a healthy economic development more

investment is needed. Political instability is a risk.
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