Romanian family doctors hold banners, one reading "Family medical care - where to?"", during a protest outside the government offices, joined by hundreds of Romanian doctors from across the country, demanding more funding and less bureaucracy, in Bucharest, Romania, Wednesday, Nov. 15, 2017. Medics say poor working conditions in the health system have led to thousands of doctors and nurses to seek employment abroad. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
Republished November 15, 2017 - 9:23 AM
Original Publication Date November 15, 2017 - 3:26 AM
BUCHAREST, Romania - Hundreds of Romanian family doctors on Wednesday protested outside the government offices demanding more funding and less bureaucracy.
Medics say poor working conditions in the health system have led thousands of doctors and nurses to seek employment abroad. Medics from all over Romania gathered to vent their frustrations, from Maramures in the northwest to Ialomita county in southeast Romania.
The protesters held banners reading "Health is ignored, underfunded, bureaucratized, and disrespected."
Eugenia Nica, who's been a family doctor for 25 years in Bucharest, complained about excessive bureaucracy and low wages compared with clinicians working at hospitals.
Medics later met Prime Minister Mihai Tudose, who agreed the doctors were inundated with paperwork and said the government would try and find solutions.
News from © The Associated Press, 2017