THEORETICAL APPROACHES IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM
THEORETICAL APPROACHES IN THE HEALTH SYSTEM

Summary/Abstract: Abstract: This paper aims to conduct a literature review of the evolution of the healthcare system in Romania from the previous and post-communist period to date, but also of countries with similar characteristics in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). We examined the health system's transition and summarized the changes in the system organizations through the past three decades. Afterwards, we presented the health profiles of CEE countries and we analyzed their healthcare systems. Romania has evolved from a strict and deficient public health system to a modern health system that aims to prevent and improve the health of the population annually. At the national level, health expenses have been increasing in the last decade, with the state financing health expenses with 5.2% of GDP in 2019. Compared to the analyzed countries, the life expectancy of Romanians in 2020 fell below the European average, ranking second after Bulgaria. The Romanian health system should focus its progress efforts on increasing the population access to basic health services, simultaneously with enhancing the national investment in health. Moreover, efforts should be directed on addressing the lack of specialized personnel, updating the medical technology in the public system, and decreasing the cost of healthcare in the private system.

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