Evaluation of structure and provision of primary care in Romania

2012 In many countries in transition, health reforms are part of profound and comprehensive changes in essential societal functions and values. Reforms of (primary) care are not always based on evidence, and progress may be driven by political arguments or the interests of specific professional groups, rather than by sound evaluations. However, policy-makers and managers today demand evidence of the progress of reforms and the responsiveness of services. The implementation of two combined WHO tools, the Primary Care Evaluation Tool and the Primary Care Quality Management Tool aim to provide a structured approach towards this by drawing on the health systems functions such as governance, financing and resource generation, as well as the characteristics of a good primary care service delivery system: accessibility, comprehensiveness, coordination and continuity. This report gives an overview on the findings for Romania.

The project was launched in Romania in 2009 and implemented in 2010 in the framework of the 2010–2011 Biennial Collaborative Agreement between the WHO Regional Office for Europe and the Ministry of Health of Romania, an agreement that lays out the main areas of work for collaboration between the parties. Further partners were the Netherlands Institute for Health Services Research (NIVEL) – a WHO Collaborating Centre for Primary Care –, the Romanian Centre for Health Policies and Services and other stakeholders in the health system of Romania, such as national policy experts, managers, medical educators, primary care physicians and their patients.