National Appeal: “STOP the Humiliation of Doctors! The Romanian Healthcare System Is on the Brink of Collapse! Enforce Salary Law No. 153/2017 and Save the Medical System!”
To the Parliament and Government of Romania
To the attention of Interim Prime Minister Mr. Marian-Cătălin PREDOIU
To the attention of the Minister of Health, Professor Alexandru RAFILA, MD, PhD
We, the undersigned physicians working within the Romanian public healthcare system, hereby address a firm and urgent appeal to you regarding the critical situation in which we find ourselves—brought about by discriminatory and unjust legislative provisions applied to medical professionals. These derive from the repeated issuance of Emergency Ordinances which have systematically blocked the proper and full enforcement of Framework Law no. 153/2017 concerning the remuneration of publicly funded personnel.
We draw your attention to the following serious issues:
1. The payment of on-call hours remains frozen at 2018 levels—an unjust and discriminatory practice that violates fundamental principles of pay equity enshrined in both the Romanian Labour Code and the Constitution.
2. The improper remuneration and failure to fully recognize on-call hours as actual working time constitutes a severe infringement of the rights provided by national labour legislation and European standards, significantly contributing to the physical and mental exhaustion of medical professionals.
3. Major and unreasonable discrepancies in the levels of bonuses awarded to physicians across hospitals of similar rank and public funding status have created a climate of profound dissatisfaction, discrimination, and demotivation among healthcare workers.
4. Despite repeated appeals from medical professionals and trade unions, no viable solutions have been implemented, perpetuating an unstable, high-pressure environment incompatible with the optimal delivery of medical care.
We urgently and firmly demand the following:
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Immediate adjustment of on-call payment to reflect current base salary levels (2025), in accordance with Framework Law no. 153/2017.
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Full recognition of on-call hours as actual working time, in alignment with the Labour Code and all applicable national legislation on working hours.
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Standardization and increase of hardship-related bonuses nationwide, thereby eliminating the current inequities.
Should our warning go unheeded, we are prepared to unilaterally terminate our part-time contracts for on-call service, respecting the legally required notice periods.
We are fully aware that mass resignations by physicians will cause significant disruption to healthcare services. However, the responsibility for the ensuing chaos and discontinuity in medical care will rest entirely with those authorities who have continuously ignored the legitimate appeals of healthcare professionals.
We issue this appeal to the Parliament and Government of Romania, urging you to act swiftly and responsibly to prevent the imminent collapse of the national healthcare system, amidst increasing levels of burnout and the alarming exodus of medical staff.
Dear colleagues,
In these trying times, we deeply value your continued resilience in the face of enormous challenges and relentless pressures from the medical system. We know that burnout and exhaustion test our limits daily, yet your professionalism, empathy, and dedication to patients matter now more than ever.
We encourage you to remain strong, to protect your physical and mental health, and—above all—not to lose hope that things can and must change. It is essential that we stand in solidarity, support one another, and raise our voices together in a united and resolute message.
Continue to serve our patients with the highest standards of care and compassion—but do not hesitate to speak up in defense of our fundamental rights.
Real change comes only through unity and solidarity. We refuse to remain pawns in an unjust system!
Only together can we defend our dignity, our vocation, and our future.
With profound respect,
The Physicians of the Romanian Public Health System – those who still choose to fight HERE
The Physicians of the Romanian Public Health System Contact the author of the petition