Survey: 20% Of Urban Romanians Use Private Healthcare Services

05.09.2011 By Bostan Radu

More than one fifth of urban Romanians use private medical services and over two thirds of this group choose them for their better quality compared to public healthcare, according to a survey ordered by private medical service provider MedLife.

According to the survey, Romanians also choose private clinics because of their "civilized conditions," cleanliness (45.7%), manner of medical personnel (43.1%), short waiting time (39.2%), quality equipment (34.2%), competent staff (30.1%) and because they do not need to make "informal payments" (29.3%).

When asked "What are the services you purchased in a private clinic?", more than 70% of respondents said laboratory tests, followed by ophthalmology and gynecology (around 20%), and over 16% answered an imaging service (MRI, tomography, radiography, echography), MedLife said in a press release.

Other popular private healthcare services include cardiology, labor medicine, dermatology and gastroenterology.

According to the study, 61% of the participants purchase lab tests at least once per year, while 19% do so every two-three years, and 10% less than once every five years.

The study says around one third of the sample were treated in-hospital at least once in the last two-three years. The best known private hospital in Romania is MedLife's Life Memorial Hospital, followed by the Regina Maria Maternity Hospital, Euroclinic, the Pelican Hospital in Oradea and the Arcadia Hospital in Iasi.

The survey was carried out between April 8 and 19 on a sample of one thousand people all over Romania.