Romanian hospital introduces anti-bribery declaration forms for patients

Corruption is still one of the Romanian medical system’s biggest problems, with many patients still offering bribes to the medical staff even for basic care.

In this context, the County Emergency Hospital in Bistrita, in Bistrita-Nasaud county, came up with a new method aimed at convincing people to stop offering extra money to the medical staff. Starting this month, the patients will have to sign a statement pledging not to give bribes in the hospital, local Mediafax reported.

“Yesterday, the Steering Committee and the Board of Directors of the Bistrita County Emergency Hospital approved the informative/awareness form for patients to be received and completed upon hospitalization. The form aims to inform/make the patients aware of the legal payments that they have to make during the hospitalization period and to declare that they will not offer additional payments to the medical staff or other categories of hospital personnel, and will be implemented during the month of October,” hospital manager Gabriel Lazany announced on Facebook.

Through this declaration form, the patients pledge not to pay bribes in the hospital and to notify the hospital management or other authorized bodies if they’re ever asked to give bribes.

Similar anti-bribery measures have been taken by other hospitals in Romania as well. For example, at the beginning of this year, the Emergency Hospital in Slatina, in Olt county, thought that anti-bribery posters would convince patients to stop giving bribes to the medical staff. “Our salaries have increased, we don’t need bribe!,” read the posters visible when entering the hospital, but also at the entrance of each department.

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