Bucharest children’s hospital at risk of suspending activity due to shortage of nurses, other medical staff

The "Dr. Victor Gomoiu" Clinical Hospital for Children in Bucharest is currently at risk of suspending its operations, including the emergency room, due to a shortage of medical staff, particularly nurses, the hospital's medical director warned.

“We are at a minimum with staff in all hospital departments, especially in the emergency room. We need to go back a bit, to May, when the positions were frozen, and we could no longer organize competitions to fill them. [...] Until December, we kept reassigning nurses from other departments, from pediatrics, orthopedics, surgery, ENT, neurology, and intensive care, from everywhere,” said Dr. Costel Vlad, the hospital’s medical director, cited by News.ro.

“Gradually, everyone got tired, and they began to resign, especially after we moved them around, so now, at the end of the year, we have reached a situation where we don't have enough people. Practically, in any of the hospital's departments, if someone gets sick, resigns, takes maternity leave, or interrupts their activity,  we have to suspend activity in that sector because we don't have enough nurses to ensure proper care,” he added.

The same situation is especially present in the emergency room, also at risk of suspending operations due to a lack of staff. As a result, the remaining nurses face an immense workload. Moreover, the days off that medical staff are entitled to cannot be given without endangering operations at the hospital.

“It has happened that the 120-200 patients who come to the emergency room in a day may have to be cared for by a single nurse, which is very little. Frustrations accumulate on the part of the patients, long waiting times, and the nurse will eventually give in because it is too much for one person,” Dr. Costel Vlad said. He also highlighted that the hospital is facing the risk of not having enough people to ensure nurses’ shifts and may have to direct patients to other hospitals.

Around 75 nurses and 25 orderlies are needed at the "Victor Gomoiu" Hospital in Bucharest. The emergency room would need around 20 nurses but currently operates with 8. Extra shifts, a reduction in rest periods, and fatigue can lead to mistakes, the hospital’s director warns.

The medical director blames red tape around hiring for the staff shortage. “From our point of view, the unlocking of the situation needs to be rapid, that is, unlocking the competition for filling positions in the public health system. The legislation was made so that organizing competitions can be done based on a memorandum. Efforts have been made, and we made them through the Hospital Administration, these memorandums have been submitted several times, but they remained unanswered until the end of 2023 when we were notified that they cannot be unlocked at the end of the year,” he says.

At least 100,000 children have been consulted at the "Victor Gomoiu" Hospital in the last year, out of which 10,000 were hospitalized. The hospital, however, is rather small, with only 200 beds.

The situation is made worse as Romania is seeing a rise in flu cases among children, increasing the strain on the children’s hospital.

"In the last three weeks, about 500 children have been diagnosed with the flu at the medical unit, an average of approximately 200 cases per week. Moreover, between 120 and 170 children come to the emergency room each day. There are only 2 available doctors in the emergency room. And this is just one example," ASSMB officials reported, cited by News.ro. 

"The Government has led the medical system towards imminent collapse by ignoring the health crisis and through drastic cuts in funds allocated to hospitals, thereby critically endangering patient lives," according to a statement from the Medical Services Administration office, or ASSMB. The Bucharest Hospitals and Medical Services Administration reminded that it has repeatedly addressed the Government with requests to unlock positions, but the Executive "chose to ignore them." 

The general director of ASSMB, Oana Sivache, states that medical units are unable to ensure medical services. "We are in a situation where we can no longer ensure the continuity of medical services due to a lack of staff. Hospitals no longer have enough doctors, nurses, and auxiliary staff. The health of Romanians, whether patients or medical staff, is in danger,” she added.

[email protected]

(Photo source: Inquam Photos | Sabin Cirstoveanu)