Sergiu APOSTOL and Victorela VIERIU (SANITAS Iași) at FERM 2025: “Without real action, we will be left without people in hospitals”

MOLDOVA REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM 2025

19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025

Thematic Panel:

Healthcare and Medical Services in the Moldova Region

Speaker:

Apostol Sergiu and Victorela Vieriu – Sanitas IAȘI

Presentation topic:
“The Medical Staff Crisis – Solutions and Perspectives Offered by Trade Unions”

Representatives of the SANITAS Iași Union: Apostol Sergiu (Vice President of SANITAS Iași) and Victorela Vieriu (President of the SANITAS branch at the Pneumophtisiology Hospital Iași), along with medical, administrative, and policy experts, presented a detailed analysis of the structural causes and strategic recommendations aimed at countering this complex phenomenon.

A multifaceted crisis: migration, bureaucracy, and underfunding

Victorela Vieriu, president of the SANITAS branch at the Pneumophtisiology Hospital Iași, opened the debate with a comprehensive analysis of the current state of Romania’s healthcare system:

“Romania has the lowest number of healthcare professionals per capita in the entire European Union. We’re not just talking about doctors and nurses, but the whole chain of specialists: economists, physiotherapists, orderlies, and other essential professionals.”

According to her, the exodus of medical staff continues at an alarming rate, especially in hospitals in the Moldova region, already facing a severe staff shortage.

“We are exporting, free of charge, the human resources that the Romanian state also trains for free. The workforce is aging, and more and more employees choose either professional retraining or emigration in search of better conditions. The lack of coherent policies and fair legislation only deepens this crisis.”

Victorela Vieriu also offered a concrete example, referring to the current situation of the Pneumophtisiology Hospital in Iași:

“The hospital operates in four different locations spread across the city. This dispersion significantly affects the efficiency of medical care and generates additional costs. For years, the project for an integrated hospital in the Bucium area has been stalled at the Ministry of Health, with no clear implementation prospects.”

Unions demand concrete measures, not just formal participation

The SANITAS Iași representatives presented a series of clear and well-argued proposals to address the deepening crisis in the healthcare system:

• Revision of legislation on salaries and staffing standards:

  “Order 1224/2010 is completely outdated and no longer reflects current hospital realities.”

• Investments in medical infrastructure:
  Construction of modern hospital units, equipped with cutting-edge technology and fully integrated digital systems.
• Real incentives for attracting and retaining medical staff:
  Scholarships, service housing, tax breaks, and simplified administrative reimbursements.
• Reducing bureaucratic burden:
  Eliminating excessive formalism (“paperwork overload”) through full digitalization of documents, use of electronic signatures, and rapid access to digital archives.
• Strategic planning of human resources in healthcare:

“We need a clear national strategy, medium- and long-term, for at least 10 years, covering the training, recruitment, and retention of medical staff.”

Victorela Vieriu issued another strong warning:

“Healthcare cannot operate on promises. Without real investment and legislation adapted to hospital realities, we will continue t