Health minister: Discussion needs to be made in Romanian society regarding terminally ill patients' treatment

  There is a need for a broader debate in the Romanian society on the treatment of terminally ill patients, the minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, said on Monday, when he left the gov't's venue, after the discussions with prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, when asked about a possible modification of the ICU protocols following the scandal triggered at the Sfantul Pantelimon Emergency Clinical Hospital in Bucharest."It is a broader discussion that needs to be made in the Romanian society, and it refers to the way of treating terminally ill patients. It cannot be done only through an administrative decision, there must be a broad discussion, with professional societies, with patient organizations, and this can be done very well with the support of these international societies (the European Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care and the World Society of Anaesthesia and Intensive Care, editor's note)," Alexandru Rafila said.Asked if the option of interrupting medical treatment in the case of a terminally ill patient would be reached, as is practiced in other states, the minister said that he does not want to speculate."I wouldn't want us to speculate at all. These guides and protocols of good practice must be subject to public debate, and acceptance by society is essential," Rafila added.   Following discussions with Prime minister Marcel Ciolacu, the minister of Health, Alexandru Rafila, announced on Monday that steps are being taken for an independent professional audit at the Sfantul Pantelimon Emergency Clinical Hospital in Bucharest."We have decided and we have already taken the first steps to be able to contact the European Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, as well as the World Society of Anesthesia and Intensive Care, so that we can carry out an independent medical professional audit of what happened at Pantelimon Hospital, and the message we want to convey to the public opinion is the one that must restore confidence in the professionals in the health system and finish once and for all with these disputes between the various medical specialties, between the mass media and some of the representatives of the medical body. I am first of all a physician and then I am the minister of Health. I have a responsibility in terms of the credibility of the health system, and everything we do and have done in these two and a half years, starting with investments, continuing with the reform in the field of human resources or health management - all these things were done to give credibility to the health system," Rafila said in a press statement."I don't have a problem ... It's not about my resignation. When I leave the Ministry of Health, I want to leave things in order in terms of all the necessary arguments, so that people have confidence in the health system in Romania," Rafila said.He added that the head of the ICU section at Sfantul Pantelimon Hospital resigned from her position and that a replacement was found inside the medical unit. At the same time, he stressed that the steps for the rehabilitation of some areas of the hospital have begun.