The largest amount was spent on medicines, over 58 lei, and the rest on therapeutic equipment and medical equipment. Retirement households spent the largest amount, almost 94 lei, of which about 91 lei for medicines.
The INS data show that the health system does not work in Romania, says Cezar Irimia, representative of the Coalition of Organizations of Patients with Chronic Diseases, at RFI.
“The fact that pensioners pay the highest percentage of this amount indicates that we have a category of sick elderly people who are not supported by the health system to which they contributed as pensioners and when they were active in the workplace. Unfortunately, the state does not provide you with anything.
Retirees end up buying their drugs from the open circuit, on the recommendation of doctors, because they no longer receive these drugs for free, although they should have received them.
They have to buy them, especially when they are hospitalized ”explains the COPAC representative, Cezar Irimia.
The total household expenditures were, in 2015, on average, over 2,300 lei per month per household and 885 lei per person, according to INS data. These accounted for 88 percent of total revenues (down 3.2 percentage points from 2014), according to INS.
Among the categories of households analyzed, the highest level of total expenditures, average per person (over 1000 lei per month), was achieved by employee households, which also have the highest incomes, and the lowest by households unemployed (approximately 480 lei).
Low expenses, below the average of the analyzed households, were also registered in the households of self-employed workers in non-agricultural activities, farmers and pensioners’, also informs INS.
Most of the money was allocated to food, taxes, dues and contributions, as well as covering needs related to household production (animal feed, payment for household production, sowing products, veterinary services, etc.).
Dragoş Frumosu, the president of the Federation of Trade Unions in the Food Industry explains: Romanians’ incomes are very low and compared to the percentage of food expenditure it is logical that most of the income goes to food…
In Romania we cannot say that incomes have increased very little, that if we make a comparison with 6-7 years ago, we see that the guaranteed minimum income has doubled. However, its level is very low, during which time everything that means electricity, gas, fuel in terms of price has been aligned at EU level.
A Romanian earns 300 euros per month, a Hungarian 600-700 euros, and a Frenchman, German or Belgian ends up earning up to 2000 euros per month (minimum level). Then it is normal that this food consumption related to the Romanians’ income represents the main expense for them. The Romanian does: he pays for his maintenance, the light, the phone, he takes food for the whole family, and if he has an illness he also takes medicines. Otherwise, he doesn’t have much opportunity to spend on anything else. And not being able to spend on anything else, the share of food becomes the main expense and consumption.
The NIS states that the destination structure also includes investment expenditures, consisting of the purchase or construction of housing, the purchase of land and equipment necessary for household production or the purchase of shares.
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