Cabinet Approves Hospital Merger: Decision Made at the Last Minute

The draft decision on the merger of the Dermatology Hospital with the Toma Ciorba Hospital was approved by the cabinet. The document was included in the agenda at the beginning of the government meeting on Wednesday, 27 December. Previously, the doctors of the “Toma Ciorba” and the Dermatology Hospital have submitted petitions asking not to merge the medical institutions. According to the Health Ministry, it is only about joint management and no hospital will be closed. According to the draft published by the Ministry of Health, the Tom Ciorba Infectious Diseases Hospital will be reorganized and will “absorb” the Dermatology and Infectious Diseases Hospital. The Health Ministry explains the decision by saying that the Tom Ciorba Hospital building is old and needs to be renovated, while the Dermatology Hospital operates in a building that can be adapted to the current standards of medical services provided by both institutions. The authority has also stated that the separate management of the two hospitals entails unnecessary additional costs.