Romania Approves Hiring for Over 6,850 Healthcare Positions Amid Staff Shortage

The Romanian government has greenlit the organization of recruitment competitions for more than 6,850 vacant positions within the national healthcare system. This move comes as a response to a critical staff shortage plaguing hospitals and follows a general freeze on public sector hiring.

While healthcare facilities and public health directorates had requested the unlocking of nearly 26,000 positions, the executive approved only a fraction. The government cited the need to maintain fiscal-budgetary discipline and the logistical challenges of organizing a very large number of competitions simultaneously as reasons for the partial approval. The remaining requested positions may be re-evaluated later in the year, depending on financial situations and the occupancy of the newly approved roles.

The distribution of the approved positions was not uniform. It was based on a priority score calculated using two objective criteria: the bed occupancy rate in each hospital and the proportion of staff expenses in the unit's budget. Hospitals with higher bed occupancy and the financial capacity for new hires received higher scores and thus more positions.

Significant reductions were applied to the initially requested numbers. For doctors in hospitals funded by the National Health Insurance House, the reduction was 40%, while other staff categories saw a 60% reduction. An exception was made for ambulance services, where doctor positions were approved in full, with a 20% reduction for other personnel.