Romania Private Healthcare Market Seen Up 13% This Year, To EUR420M – Report

In 2010, the Romanian private healthcare market, which comprises payments from people's own sources, private healthcare service subscriptions and medical insurance, is seen increasing 13% and is set to grow even more in the 2011-2012 interval, PMR's pharmaceutical analysis division head Monika Stefanczyk said in a press release Monday.

The market is seen reaching EUR420 million this year, following a 15% increase in 2009, to EUR373 million. According to the research company's estimates, private healthcare services providers will collect EUR609 million in 2011, 25% more than the forecast EUR486 million.

The report shows all large private medical clinic networks expect revenues to increase 10-50% this year. Most operators expect the private healthcare services market to consolidate this year, and large chains already have smaller partners in their networks, which they intend to buy.

Also, private healthcare services providers plan to invest over EUR200 million in private hospitals in Romania over the following two or three years.

Mandatory health insurance in Romania barely covers payments for treatment and Romanians are generally dissatisfied with the quality of services in the public healthcare system and the lack of modern treatment, which is available in private units, the report states.

Moreover, Romania's public healthcare system is poised to have financing problems this year, which will affect services in hospitals, encouraging more and more clients to turn to private healthcare.

Another reason why Romanians are more inclined to turn to private healthcare is that private units can afford to hire the best doctors, whom they pay several times more than in the public system, where the average wage for a doctor is between EUR200 and EUR350 per month.

Private healthcare companies in Romania include Centrul Medical Unirea, Romar Medical, MedLife, Medicover, Medsana, Medcenter, Euroclinic, Gral Medical and Sanador.

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