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Healthcare: THE ACTIVITY OF HEALTHCARE UNITS IN 2018
In 2018:
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nearly 62 thousand healthcare units were in operation
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there were, on average, 322 inhabitants per doctor
In 2018 the activities of the (public and private) healthcare system were performed in nearly 62 thousand healthcare units (50 thousand healthcare units in the urban area and 12 thousand healthcare units in the rural area), data from the National Institute of Statistics (INS) read.
According to the breakdown by main category of unit, in 2018 the healthcare network included: 524 hospitals, compared to 510 hospitals in 2017; 162 units assimilated to hospitals that provide only day hospitalisation care services or ambulatory care and day hospitalisation care services, compared to 124 units of this type in 2017; more than 11 thousand independent specialised doctors’ offices, 303 units more than in 2017; over 15 thousand independent dentists’ offices, 108 units more than in the previous year; nearly 11 thousand family doctors’ offices, a decrease of 111 offices compared to 2017.
The network of medical laboratories and the pharmaceutical network registered increases compared to the previous year, providing services through 6.5 thousand medical laboratories and dental laboratories and nearly 10 thousand pharmacies, drugstores and pharmaceutical points.
Out of the 686 hospitals and units assimilated to hospitals that were in operation in 2018, only 342 were large medical units (with more than 100 beds) and 265 were small medical units (with less than 50 beds).
• Primary healthcare
The primary healthcare, provided through the network of family doctors’ offices, represents the first contact of the population with the healthcare system, both for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases and for conducting preventive medical tests. A larger number of family doctors’ offices operated in the urban area, 6.5 thousand offices compared to 4.4 thousand offices in the rural area, 0.1 thousand offices less than in 2017, both for the urban and for the rural area. In the rural area there were 1.3 times more inhabitants1 (belonging to the resident population) per family doctor’s office than in the urban area.
• Specialised ambulatory care
The specialised ambulatory care is provided by specialised units such as specialised ambulatory care facilities, medical and dental centres, polyclinics, diagnosis and treatment centres etc., units that are mostly located in the urban area. The network of independent specialised doctors’ offices and that of independent dentists’ offices – which form part of the ambulatory care system – are also predominantly located in the urban area. While 11 thousand independent specialised doctors’ offices were in operation in the urban area, their number was 25 times smaller in the rural area, namely only 438 offices. Consequently, the number of inhabitants1 per independent specialised doctor’s office was 21 times higher in the rural area than in the urban area. In 2018, in the rural area, there were, on average, only 0.5 independent specialised doctors’ offices per 10,000 inhabitants1 (0.4 offices in 2017), compared to 10.4 such offices in the urban area in 2018 (10.1 offices in 2017).
* The medical care provided to inpatients and day care patients by healthcare units
In 2018, the approximately 686 hospitals and units assimilated to hospitals that were in operation had at their disposal 133 thousand beds for inpatients (123 thousand beds in the urban area and nearly 10 thousand beds in the rural area) and 10 thousands beds for day care patients (only 303 beds in the rural area). Hospitals provided medical care to 4.2 million inpatients and to 4.0 million day care patients.
As regards the number of hospital beds made available, the highest number of beds (131 thousand beds, accounting for 91.6%) was available to patients in large hospitals (units with more than 100 beds each), 7 thousand beds (4.9%) were available in medium-size hospitals (units with 50-99 beds), and 5 thousand beds (3.5%) were available in small hospitals (with less than 50 beds). In 2018, the average length of hospital stay was 7.2 days/inpatient.
Out of the total number of hospitals, 9 healthcare centres (6 centres in the rural area) provided inpatient medical care, for at least two specialities, to patients from various localities, and the average length of hospital stay was 6.8 days/patient. Inpatients with health and social care needs benefitted, on average, from 151.2 days/patient of medical and social care services in health and social care units.
The prevention and control of tuberculosis as well as the treatment of stabilised patients were done, on average, for inpatients, during 118.6 days/patient in the two preventoria, while the treatment of inpatients with tuberculosis was done, on average, during 28.3 days/patient in the two specialised sanatoria.
* The healthcare staff
As regards the healthcare staff, in 2018 the healthcare system included 60.6 thousand doctors, an increase of 2.0 thousand doctors compared to 2017; 16.5 thousand dentists, approximately 800 dentists more than in 2017; 17.6 thousand pharmacists, a decrease of approximately 200 pharmacists compared to the previous year; 145.3 thousand healthcare staff with post-secondary education level, 3.2 thousand more than in 2017, and 70.3 thousand auxiliary healthcare staff, an increase of approximately 900 persons compared to 2017.
The healthcare staff is predominantly composed of women, who represent more than two thirds of the doctors and dentists and approximately 90% of the pharmacists. In 2018, 1.9 thousand physiokinetotherapists and 15.3 thousand nurses with higher education provided medical care in public and private units of the healthcare system, compared to 1.6 thousand physiokinetotherapists and 14.6 thousand nurses with higher education in 2017.
The distribution of the healthcare staff by area of residence is determined by the territorial distribution of healthcare units, with the existing major discrepancies being maintained.
Out of the total number of doctors, one fifth were family doctors, with nearly two thirds of them working in the urban area. In 2018, as in the previous year, the differences in available healthcare staff between the areas of residence are indicated by the greater number of inhabitants (belonging to the resident population) per healthcare staff member in the rural area than in the urban area, namely: 8 times more inhabitants per doctor (1.5 times more inhabitants per family doctor), 6 times more inhabitants per dentist and nearly 4 times more inhabitants per pharmacist.