Romania

Accessing care

With the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC), you can receive medically necessary treatment during a temporary stay in Romania. Medically necessary treatment means treatment that cannot wait until you return home. You may need such treatment, for example, due to sudden illness or an accident.

You can also receive treatment related to pregnancy, childbirth, or chronic illnesses. If you have a condition that requires regular treatment while you are staying abroad, contact a health care provider in advance to arrange the treatment.

The European Health Insurance Card does not guarantee free treatment and you will be charged the same amount as local residents. We recommend carrying additional copies of your card. If you do not have a European Health Insurance Card or if it is not accepted, you will need to pay the cost of treatment yourself. You can then apply for reimbursement from Kela afterward.

Romania has also private healthcare services. You cannot receive reimbursement for the costs unless the medical service provider has a contract with one the health insurance houses. Otherwise, you are fully responsible for the costs of treatment.

Sudden illness

Doctor

Make an appointment with a general practitioner or a specialist which is in a contractual relationship with one of the health insurance houses. At the reception, show your European Health Insurance Card and your identity card. Services included in basic basket are free of charge, but you must pay a deductible tax for other services.

Dentist

You can receive medical services from dentists which are in a contractual relationship with one of the Health Insurance Houses. From this kind of dentist, you can receive certain basic treatment free of charge. For other treatment you will have to pay for yourself. Emergency dental care is free of charge. Urgent medical care is free of charge. Dental care is provided free of charge also for patients under the age of 18 from dentists who have a contract with the health insurance houses.

Medication

In order to have your medication from a pharmacy in Romania, you must present a prescription. In a situation where you have to pay for the prescription partly or fully, you can request a reimbursement of the costs when returning to your home country. The amount of reimbursement is defined on a reference list, in which the medicines have been divided into four categories according to the reimbursement amount. You can find more information on reimbursements of medicines on the web page of European Commission. Children under the age of 18, students and apprentices between 18 and 26 years of age, and pregnant women receive certain medications free of charge based on a prescription.

The validity period of the prescription depends on the purpose for which the medicine has been prescribed. The prescription is valid for

• maximum of 48 hours for medicines for acute conditions
• maximum of 30 days for medicines for chronical illnesses.

When the patient is discharged after a period spent in hospital, the doctor can write the patient a prescription for a month, at maximum. However, if the doctor deems it necessary, they can issue a statement that lengthens the validity of the prescription up to three months.

Hospital treatment

In case of emergency, you can go directly to a hospital. Make sure that the hospital is in a contractual relationship with one of the Health Insurance Houses.  At the hospital, show your European Health Insurance Card and your identity card. You will need to pay a deductible for hospital care and specific services (such as laboratory tests and imaging services). If you require additional services at the hospital, such as a larger room, you will pay for the additional costs yourself.

The emergency ambulance services on the territory of Romania are provided by the county ambulance services. Emergency ambulance services are free of charge for the patient. Air ambulance services are only available within Romania’s land borders in extreme emergency situations, such as serious traffic accidents, critically ill patients or other acute situations. The air ambulance can also be used in critical cases where the hospital cannot provide the necessary examinations or treatment.

Read more about suddenly falling ill in Europe.

Read more about reimbursement of costs of treatment abroad.

Useful websites

If you want to travel to Romania to use healthcare services there, you should read our website for general information about seeking treatment abroad. You should direct your questions about healthcare in Romania to the Romanian National Contact Point.

Quality and safety of treatment

In the event of treatment injuries, the legislation and patient insurance of the country providing the treatment is always applied. In case you are not satisfied with the treatment you received, you should first try to resolve the issue with the healthcare provider. The National Contact Point can help you with finding the right authority if you wish to make a complaint.

Healthcare system

The Romanian healthcare system is public. The public healthcare sector is managed and coordinated by the Romanian Ministry of Health. Social health insurance is mandatory. The National Health Insurance House, NHIH (Casa Nationala de Asigurări de Sănătate, CNAS) functions at national level and coordinates 43 health insurance houses.