RSS
CSAT will convene on May 27: the agenda includes an item related to healthcare
The Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT) will convene next week on May 27, with President Klaus Iohannis announcing on Thursday that the agenda of the meeting also includes an item related to healthcare.
"Unfortunately, the latest public scandal of the disinfectants revealed what huge damages can come up because of indifference and corruption in the public healthcare system. As you probably remember, we included healthcare elements in the National Defence Strategy and we also included healthcare among national security matters. Having all these in mind, I included on the agenda of the May 27 CSAT meeting an item related to this sector. I asked for materials from the Health Ministry, from the institutions that hold relevant data, for this clarification in the CSAT meeting, and I asked them not to come only with the presentation of the situation, but with solutions as well," Iohannis told a press conference at the Cotroceni Palace.
He underscored however that it is not in the CSAT that the healthcare issue must be sorted out.
"In the CSAT we discuss, find the interconnections between, for instance, what the Health Ministry and the intelligence services do, but it is not in the CSAT that these issues must be sorted out, but in the institutions in charge. The policies must be devised at the Health Ministry, and it's again the Health Ministry's task to come up with improved regulations, create procedures preventing the emergence of other problems of this kind. Prosecutors, policemen must seek for those who may have broken the law," the head of state said.
Klaus Iohannis underscored that the healthcare system isn't challenged only by the punctual issue of the disinfectants, but by a great number of problems that can be solved only if those responsible come up with serious and feasible solutions, and also set them into practice.
He pointed out that healthcare remains one of his priorities, underscoring that the patient must be at the core of the system.
President Klaus Iohannis said Thursday that after a devastating fire in 2015 at Colectiv club of Bucharest he received information on the healthcare system.
"Immediately after Colectiv, I received information that I discussed back then," Iohannis told a news conference at the Cotroceni Palace in response to whether or not he got information on the healthcare system that he might consider grave.
He said that in general some information reaches the Presidential Administration, but if it is specific for a given area, it goes to the presidential advisers in charge with that area.
"I cannot remember any conversation or information regarding a certain drug maker. But, there has been information about procedures that do not go on smoothly at certain hospitals," said Iohannis.
He added that the Presidency is not a notifying organisation.
"When we get information, we read it and count ourselves informed. The Presidency is no notifying organisation and the President is not some supra-government. Such information is not especially for the Presidential Administration. If it includes things worth knowing about hospitals, it goes to the prime minister, the health minister and possibly to a county director. If slippages that could be deemed criminal are mentioned, the information also goes to the prosecution offices. Each time, those with powers in the areas under information will have to act. If the information is for the health minister, the Presidential Administration will take no official action. If there are very serious problems, then the presidential advisers come to me with special information and if I do consider there is a grave issue, I may bring the matter up in a conversation with the prime minister, because that would be a matter pertaining to the government, or I may also ask for information at a meeting of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT). But that is not devised so that ten people get information and the Presidency would additionally warn the Health Ministry that the Intelligence Service said there are some problems," Iohannis explained.
He added that the state of the healthcare system is outrageous, insisting that the system has to change.
According to him, the Romanian Intelligence Service (SRI) did its job in the case of diluted disinfectants for hospital use provided by Hexi Pharma drug maker, while other organisations did not.
"I believe SRI did its job in this case as well. When they had signals that something was amiss, they said so, but I also believe that some organisations did not do their job quite well; I expect prosecutors to find and send to court the ones that might have knowingly violated the law," Iohannis told journalists at the Cotroceni Palace.
Asked about the basis for his statement about SRI having done its job, Iohannis said he was speaking from his own experience. ''Because my experience has been that it does its job but there are some organisations that fail to do their job at times," he said.
Iohannis added he will ask SRI to check whether or not some of SRI's reports to him may be made public, and that organisational heads will have to check whether or not they paid attention to the SRI reports to them.
"We have new prosecutors, a new attorney general, we have a chief prosecutor at the National Anti-Corruption Agency (DNA) reappointed for good results, we have quite a new chief prosecutor with the Directorate for Investigating Organised Crime and Terrorism (DIICOT). I expect them to do their job and check; the judiciary inspection should check and put things in order," said Iohannis, adding that he will surely ask that as head of the Supreme Council for National Defence (CSAT).
He added that there was not a single moment in which he would suspect SRI was trying to cover up irregularities, but in his opinion some dignitaries did not read the reports to them attentively.
"SRI draws up what are called briefs. They are for the decision makers in the areas mentioned in the briefs. So, it is obvious that some dignitaries failed to read the briefs attentively, or they knowingly ignored them," said Iohannis.
He added that he had several conversations with Prime Minister Dacian Ciolos on healthcare issues.
"We have reached solutions that paradoxically are quite simple. Anyone could have found them, if they wanted so, so far. Rules have to be clarified as well as procedures. Rules to know what requirements for instance disinfectants have to meet to know how to procure such specific materials, precisely in order to rule out subjectivity from the public procurement of hospitals," said Iohannis.