Romania has lost European funding for mobile medical units designed for early detection of cancer in women. According to data provided to The Foundation For The Defense Of Citizens Against State Abuses (FACIAS), the Ministry of Health has failed to attract the funds allocated through the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) for this essential component of pre-hospital infrastructure. This decision puts the lives of thousands of Romanian women at risk in a country with the highest cervical cancer mortality rate in the European Union.
In its recent response to FACIAS, the Ministry of Health removed funding from the NRRP for the purchase of these mobile medical units, despite the fact that they are essential for the prevention and early detection of breast and cervical cancer.
The ministry justifies the removal of funding for mobile cancer screening units on the grounds of administrative incapacity and a change in priorities. According to the ministry, "during the process of updating the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP), the Ministry of Health requested, for objective reasons, the removal of this investment from the health component." The so-called "objective reasons" invoked by the ministry refer to "difficulties encountered in the implementation process, as well as the need to recalibrate funding priorities in line with the specific deadlines and constraints of the NRRP." From a budget of €251 million allocated to pre-hospital infrastructure, the funds for this vital equipment have simply been eliminated.
The decision to abandon this programme comes at a devastating time for healthcare. According to the National Institute of Public Health, Romania has the highest incidence and mortality rates for cervical cancer in Europe. In 2022, the incidence rate was 32.6 new cases per 100,000 women, more than two and a half times higher than the EU average (11.7 cases). Equally tragic is the mortality rate: 16.8 deaths per 100,000 women, three times higher than the European average (5.3 deaths). Furthermore, in 2023, 2,888 women in Romania were diagnosed with cervical cancer, and 1,177 lost their lives.
FACIAS recalls that Romania has signed contracts worth €26 billion through the NRRP, but has so far attracted only €10.7 billion, and projects worth approximately €6.3 billion can no longer be included in the NRRP because they cannot be completed by August 2026. If the authorities do not take action, another €10 billion risks being lost, becoming a new additional financial burden for Romanian taxpayers, who will be forced to bear the costs of procurement contracts concluded in advance by the Romanian state.