PM Orban requests personnel of public health departments be supplemented

Prime Minister Ludovic Orban on Thursday called on the prefects and authorities at local level to urgently strengthen the Public Health Directorates by hiring competent people and called for the epidemiological investigations to be quickly carried out. In this regard, he demands that, based on the decree establishing the state of emergency, the Public Health Directorates hire personnel, directly, without the contest procedures, to take over from the school network trained people who have the capacity to take over the tasks of DSP [the Public Health Department], physicians and assistants, who can be a vital human resource in fulfilling the duties of the Public Health Departments, to call on resident medics, employees of other institutions, for example, from the County Health Houses, if there is qualified personnel who can be available, including from some hospitals that are not in the front line of the battle and which have no direct powers. Ludovic Orban made this plea at the video conference with President Klaus Iohannis, Interior Minister Marcel Vela, prefects and heads of public institutions focused on the COVID-19 epidemic management. The prime minister added that the authorities should also focus on the speed of the epidemiological investigations and stressed that it is important that the local authorities know all the needs of the hospitals in the county. Orban said that it is very important that the authorities provide the best conditions for the quarantined persons, mentioning the Government's decision to supplement the Ministry of Health's budget by 42 million lei for the payment of the quarantine expenses. "They are Romanian citizens, we have to take care of them, we have to provide them with everything necessary to stay in civilized conditions, but, on the other hand, we have to make sure they comply with all the rules imposed in quarantine," said Orban. He conveyed, in context, his appreciation to the state employees who are doing their duty during this period and who should be an example.AGERPRES(RO - author: Daniel Florea, editor: Georgiana Tanasescu; EN - author: Simona Iacob, editor: Maria Voican)