In 2025, nosocomial infections endanger the lives of patients in Romanian hospitals. There is a legal framework in place to combat this phenomenon, but central authorities are refusing to apply it. The Foundation For The Defense Of The Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS) demands that the Government adopt the necessary decision to implement Law 3/2021 without delay. If the government does not act urgently, FACIAS will take legal action to force it to comply with its legal obligations.
The deadlock has been going on for more than four years. The law exists, but it cannot produce real effects without methodological rules for its implementation. This inaction means that hospitals in Romania are operating without a clear set of rules on the prevention, identification and treatment of in-hospital infections. The consequences are direct: patients become victims and fall ill in a system which is supposed to cure them.
Recent cases confirm the seriousness of the situation. Nine newborns at the Giulești Maternity Hospital in Bucharest have been infected with Klebsiella pneumoniae bacteria, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria. At the County Hospital in Târgu Jiu, five women contracted post-partum infections and 18 maternity staff tested positive. In Slobozia, an outbreak of Clostridium difficile, a bacteria that causes severe digestive infections, has affected at least seven patients.
Another example was the case of actor Florin Piersic. After surgery, he was transferred between four hospitals and developed severe sepsis due to a nosocomial infection. His hip prosthesis was eventually removed.
Despite the fact that there have been multiple outbreaks of nosocomial infections in hospitals across the country in the last year alone, Romania officially reports a rate of only 1% nosocomial infections at discharge, compared to the European Union average of around 7%. This significant discrepancy indicates systemic under-reporting. The failure to enforce sanctions for non-compliance with reporting obligations is allowing some healthcare facilities to report much lower figures, or even none at all. This hides the true extent of the phenomenon and reduces the chances of effective intervention by the authorities.
Without consistent regulations, hospitals handle nosocomial infection situations according to their own procedures. Nosocomial infections are not mere statistics. These tragedies can happen at any time, in any city, in any ward.
FACIAS believes that the failure to enforce a law that could save thousands of lives is a serious form of institutional abuse and neglect.