Reporting of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in Romania has shown significant improvement over the past decade. In 2020, the estimated incidence of HAIs at the national level was 1.04% of all discharged patients in hospitals, with higher levels recorded at large university hospitals/tertiary care centres where more complex cases are treated and where reporting of HAIs is likely to be better. In 2020, 2.8 times more HAIs were reported compared to 2012. However, compared to the EU, where the average reported incidence of HAIs is around 6%, the reported incidence in Romania remains relatively low.
The main pieces of legislation supporting actions towards the prevention and control of HAIs in Romania are Law no. 3 from the 8 January 2021 on the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of healthcare-associated infections in medical facilities and residential centres for disabled adults in Romania and Government Decision no. 926 from 20 July 2022 on the establishment of the National Committee for the Prevention and Control of Healthcare-Associated Infections.
Coordinated by the Ministry of Health, the Committee includes representatives of several ministries (Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Internal Affairs, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Transport, and Ministry of Labour), the National Institute of Public Health, the National Administration of Penitentiaries, the Romanian Intelligence Service, the Romanian Academy, the National Union of District Councils, and associations representing other administrative levels (municipalities, towns and communes).
After seven months since its establishment, the Ministry of Health approved regulations for its organization and functioning, and the Committee became fully functional. The Committee is primarily responsible for developing the national strategy for the prevention and control of HAIs, defining the authorization criteria related to HAI prevention for health-care facilities, developing management performance indicators related to HAI prevention, and creating guidelines, protocols, and surveillance systems for HAIs.