Romania’s health minister, Alexandru Rogobete, says the daily 22-lei allowance for food for hospital inpatients should rise next year. The direction is justified: patient meals are part of basic care, and a rate unchanged since 2022 risks falling behind the costs cited by the minister. But the announcement is not yet a measure hospitals can put into operation.
Rogobete told Digi24 that the allowance was last increased in 2022. He said the current sum has been overtaken by exchange-rate effects, inflation, VAT and other price increases. The minister said solutions are being sought so the food rate can be raised by the end of the year, with an increase expected from next year.
The issue has a direct bearing on patients. A food budget is not an isolated administrative detail: it shapes the resources available to hospital kitchens and therefore the conditions under which meals are provided during an admission. By linking the rate to cost pressures, the ministry is acknowledging that the existing figure cannot simply be treated as permanently adequate.
The proposal still needs to be judged by its final terms. Rogobete did not say how large the increase would be. The Digi24 report does not set out a budget source, the hospitals covered, implementation rules or an exact start date. Until those elements are published, hospitals do not have a new allowance on which to plan meals.
The sound position is therefore twofold. Raising the allowance is a justified priority for patient care, but the practical value of the commitment will depend on the published amount, funding and rules. The next relevant milestone is the year-end decision the minister said he is seeking.
Sources
- Digi24 · Source date: 2026-11-13
Independent editorial content. WUA is not affiliated with any political party. 2026-11-14