Foreign physicians tempted by private system

“When Romanian physicians went abroad three years ago, they left for salaries that were ten times higher than those in Romania. But now we are talking about the fact that most doctors working abroad do not have monthly salaries exceeding €4,000-5,000, while in Bucharest, reputable physicians whose waiting lists are up to a few months, can make twice as much,” said Sergiu Negut, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Unirea Medical Center (CMU). The company is now employing 10 physicians from abroad. Luana Bianca Imbria is a Romanian physician who is doing her residency in France at the Marseille-based Conception hospital, and who will return to Romania once she has completed the residency. CMU will shortly be opening a hospital for obstetrics and gynecology which will be headed by a renowned Romanian gynecologist, who returned from Germany. The health care service provider has chosen doctors working abroad, because Romanian doctors in the public sector rely on a significant amount of incentives, to supplement their salaries. Wargha Enayati, CMU’s founder and Managing Director, said last year that he intends to target physicians working abroad, as Romanian doctors have reservations about working in the private sector. “Physicians have had reservations, but things are starting to change. There are doctors who have left the public system, and even surgeons have found the necessary infrastructure in the private sector,” said Florin Andronescu, investor in the Sanador Medical Center. (D.B.)