Romanian health minister Eugen Nicolaescu presented yesterday the final version of the legislative set on health reform in front of Romanian president Traian Basescu, PM Calin Popescu Tariceanu, doctors, politicians and press. The set is made up of 17 titles, without the law on pharmacy, as for the latter there is need of consulting with the European Commission. The new normative documents are on both community and primary assistance. Means to legalize the new set are to be decided soon. Nicolaescu mentioned in the next Executive meeting they would decide whether the Executive was to take responsibility for it or there should follow parliamentary debate As predictable, the launch of this legislative set has stirred controversies. The Social-Democrat Party announced they would come up with parliamentary motion against it if the Executive took responsibility for the set in front of the Parliament. President Traian Basescu opined yesterday that the promotion of the new health legislation was the most important moment in the activity of the present Executive. He emphasized: "This is a set of laws continuing a reform that started in 1997, but got frozen at a certain time, because the system had based on what was convenient." He said the new laws provided conditions for high quality medical services. He expressed appreciation for guaranteed service package provided to citizens. He added: "As for this, the mumbling in the last years was the expression of corruption in the system". The head of state claimed the new health laws proved the thorough reform initiated by minister Nicolaescu, whom he congratulated for "the courage to face barons in the system" and also for the way he managed to settle the dispute over Elias Hospital against the Romanian Academy. President asks for checks on medical equipment acquisitions Not last, the Romanian president asked the health minister publicly to check on the use of medical equipment acquisitions in hospitals. (...)

Carmen POPESCU, Valentina DELEANU