In 2015, some 102 companies producing or distributing drugs have paid doctors, pharmacists and health professionals’ associations RON 163.7 million, i.e. EUR 36.78 million. It’s just companies that deal with human medicines, not those producing/importing/selling medical devices, as these ones are not (yet) required to declare the sums paid to the doctors, digi24.ro reports.
The money went into accounts of thousands of doctors (the exact number is impossible to know, due to the National Medicines Agency) as sponsorship or as remuneration for services rendered (conferencing, consulting, etc.).
The beneficiaries were – and probably still are – doctors at all levels of the health system, including residents on the list published by the National Medicines Agency (ANMDM), as well as many heads of clinics and hospitals.
For Professor Adrian Streinu-Cercel the amount received fell in 2015 against the previous year to RON 141,432 (approx. EUR 31,400) from seven collaborations with pharma companies. More important than the amount itself is the position for which Streinu-Cercel obtained the financing: Manager of the ‘Matei Bals’ National Institute of Infectious Diseases.
Coincidentally, or perhaps not, the medical director of the mentioned above hospital Dr. Sorin Petrea is also a beneficiary of certain amounts from Abbvie Ltd. and Bristol-Myers Squibb – some RON 3,524 (approx. EUR 783).
Working with the ‘Dr. Victor Babes’ Hospital Clinic of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, medical director of unit, PhD. Simin Aysel Florescu is included in the Pfizer and Sanofi Romania reports. In order to participate in two events, the doctor received RON 16,514 (approx. EUR 3,670).
At the Hospital ‘Prof. Dr. Theodor Burghele’ on the ANMDM list appears manager Petru Armean and medical director, Lecturer. Dr. Bogdan Braticevic. The first one has a single collaboration with Sofmedica for just RON 696 (approx. EUR 155), the second was sponsored by Berlin-Chemie A. Menarini and Ipsen Pharma A representative for Romania to participate to a symposium in Sinaia and a congress in Munich – in total RON 6,169 (approx. EUR 1,370).
Heads of departments in public hospitals have also had a fruitful cooperation with drug companies. E.g. at Floreasca Emergency Hospital, five heads of clinics and departments have collaborated with pharmaceutical firms in 2015 and at the University Hospital 18 heads.
The ANMDM lists reveal that at Floreasca Emergency Hospital it was Mircea Beuran, Head of Clinical Surgery – RON 882 (approx. EUR 200), Daniela Bartos, Head of the Clinic for Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology, RON 67,463 (approx. EUR 15,000), Gabriel Constantinescu, head of Gastroenterology department – RON 16,066 (approx. EUR 3,570), Ioana Mariana Grinţescu, head of Clinic of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care – RON 55,115 (approx. EUR 12,250) and Ioan Cristescu, head of the Orthopaedics and Traumatology department III – RON 817 (approx. EUR 182).
At the University Hospital, should be mentioned Professors Mircea Chaffinch – RON 41,024 (approx. EUR 9,116) and Dragos Vinereanu – RON 105,169 (approx. EUR 23,370), both with the Cardiology department, but also Ana Maria Vlădăreanu with the Haematology department – RON 35,288 (approx. EUR 7,840), Horia Bumbea with the Blood Transfusion unit – RON 86,736 (approx. EUR 19,274) and Ovidiu Băjenaru with the Neurology I department – RON 50,666 (approx. EUR 11,260).
At the Emergency Hospital for Children ‘Maria Sklodowska Curie’ of the five doctors working at the UPU (emergency department) four received money from pharma companies: Dr. Coordinator Denis Alexandra Stanescu, Doctor Catalina Lazar, Doctor Ileana Florescu and Doctor Adriana Guriţă .
At the Clinical Emergency Hospital Bagdasar-Arseni, there are five UPU doctors as beneficiaries, led by the head of department Florentina Lehănceanu.
At the Emergency Unit of the Central Military Emergency University Hospital ‘Carol Davila’ are mentioned: Lt. Col. Dr. Florea Costea, Major Dr. Sebastian Dogaru, Captain Dr. George and Dr. Dan Ifrim and Doctor Liliana Poteraşu as receiving money from drug companies, including for the participation to the already famous ‘Pfizer participation event.’