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Vlad Voiculescu, sworn in as health minister
Vlad Voiculescu on Friday took oath of office before President Klaus Iohannis to become Romania's next health minister.Attending the swear-in ceremony at the Cotroceni Presidential Palace in Bucharest were also Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos, members of his Cabinet, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies Valeriu Zgonea and presidential advisers.
Under a decree issued on Friday, President Iohannis appointed Voiculescu the health minister.
On May 9, Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu tendered his resignation as the health minister. Later on, Prime Minister Ciolos agreed with Iohannis to take over the office pending the appointment of a full-time minister.
President Klaus Iohannis told Vlad Voiculescu, the newly sworn-in Health Minister, that serving in this office gives him the possibility to correct the systemic issues in the area."You now have the chance to get involved from the minister office and correct the systemic issues in healthcare," Iohannis said at the swearing-in ceremony of Vlad Voiculescu as Health Minister.
In his opinion, it is a paradox that this Government, which took over a very limited tenure, must fight a host "of problems, most of which date back long ago."
"Despite the tendency in the public space to throw the problems at this government, I believe it is both a good and a bad thing. It is a bad thing that brave enough people to take up this short mandate take the blame," Iohannis said.
The head of state assured the new minister he has his entire support and all the freedom to come up with public policies in the healthcare area, meant to definitely improve the system.
"You really have the chance to correct things. You will certainly not be able to correct all issues, but this political independence gives you a surprising freedom to engage and remedy the systemic issues others left unsolved because they were afraid of their own party and sometimes of the Opposition, and very rarely of the public opinion. You shall have all the freedom and my support to come up with public policies in this specific case, in the healthcare area, capable to definitely improve the system, in the end for the only purpose this system is worth functioning for — the people, so that the expression 'the patient at the core of the healthcare system' doesn't stay just a slogan, but turns into reality," Iohannis said.
He congratulated the new minister on "bravely" taking over the mandate.
"You are known to many because you got involved at some point in a matter related to Romania's healthcare system when many had lost hope. Back then you managed to solve an extremely complicated problem, with the cytostatic drugs, you gave back hope to many sick people, but most importantly you gave back hope to those who had faith all the time, but did not see how the system could be corrected," the head of state also said.
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Vlad Voiculescu has a master's degree in strategic management and finances at the Vienna University of Economics and Business Administration.
Established abroad since 2001, he accumulated experience in financing social infrastructure, transport and energy projects and in public-private partnerships, including as Vice President in the Infrastructure Finance Division of Erste Group, Vienna.
In December 2015 he was appointed chief of staff of Finance Minister Anca Dragu.
According to the esmo.org website of the European Society for Medical Oncology, his volunteer background includes the establishment of several associations for patient support in Romania. In 2014, he founded the Magic Camp Centre for child cancer patients. Member of the Romanian Association Against Leukemia - ARIL. Member of the Aspen Institute Romania. Founding member of the Global Shapers Bucharest Hub. Vice chairman and treasurer of the European Cancer Patient Coalition since 2013.
In 2008, he started the so-called 'cytostatics network' of volunteers to bring free cancer drugs unavailable to Romanian patients in hospitals and pharmacies.
He was also involved in the financing project of the first greenfield hospital in Romania
His work was recognized by an award at the 2015 Public Participation Gala, for his Magic Camp project, and by the 2015 'Rebel for a cause' award of the 'Cariere' magazine.