Heavy metal band, Metallica, has donated €250,000 (over $278,000USD) to help build the first Romanian pediatric oncology hospital and commemorate their return to the eastern European nation after 20 years. All Within My Hands, Metallica’s non-profit foundation, made the donation to Daruieste Viata, an association with a particular interest in oncology that dedicates itself to modernizing Romanian hospital facilities. Romania has some of the most under-developed infrastructure in Europe due to poor administration, corruption, and bureaucracy. Despite billions in funding from the EU, plans for three new hospitals have repeatedly been postponed. Construction on the children’s hospital began in 2018 and is expected to be completed in 2020. It is one of the few hospitals to be built in the country in the last 30 years. This was only possible through the private donations of over 260,000 individuals and companies that entirely covered the cost. (1)
A portion of every ticket sold for #MetInSpokane is going directly to @SecondHarvest_, supporting them in their mission to fight hunger and feed hope. #MetallicaGivesBack #AWMH pic.twitter.com/t2wgru4aAa
— All Within My Hands Foundation (@AWMHFoundation) December 3, 2018
Inadequate Medical System
This is not the first time Romania’s medical woes have made headlines in recent years. In March of 2019, Balkan Insight reported that pediatric cancer patients were unnecessarily dying due to supply shortages. When medical wards run short on medication and supplies, they must turn to private funding from cancer support associations, churches, individuals, and even patients and their families to cover what they can. Donations replace furniture from the 1970s, and volunteers offer basic facility maintenance. Unfortunately, medications are not as easy to obtain, leaving many cancer patients, including children, facing death. (2)
Drug Shortages
Oncologists in the country face a serious dilemma. Doctors lack access to the medication their patients need. The policy prohibits the prescription of out-of-stock medication to cancer patients legally entitled to free treatment. Since Romania has some of the lowest drug prices in the European Union, distributors buy the medication for a low price in Romania and then sell it for a higher price in other parts of Europe. This contributes significantly to the domestic shortfall. While legal, authorities must prove that there was a need for the medication that was not available in Romania to stop the practice. If doctors are not writing prescriptions for medications they do not have, there is very little documentation available. Instead, doctors and individuals must fundraise and purchase the necessary medication illegally. (2)
Corrupt System
Corruption is reported to be widespread in Romania. Hospitals require applicants to pay thousands of euros for placements. Those who hold out against corruption must leave the country to find work. Such bribes are justified with the expectation that workers who pay bribes will then, in turn, collect bribes later in their career to recoup the cost. Those who refuse to accept bribes must often work grueling hours in the public medical system and take on additional work in the more lucrative private sector to make up the shortfall. On the part of the patients, the old barter system of the Soviet era appears to still run strong. Many patients will insist on paying their doctors personally to help ensure better care. With the new Romanian children’s hospital, families with sick children will have a lighter burden to carry. (3)
