Posta Romana Distributed Health Cards To 12.26 Million People
Romanian state-owned postal operator Posta Romana announced Thursday that it delivered health cards to 12.26 million people, according to Mediafax.
“Posta Romana, following the considerable efforts of its operational network, has managed to successfully fulfil the commitments undertaken in its contract with the National Health Insurance House,” Irina Purcaru, head of Operations and Commercial Relations Department, said in a statement.
The health card, which is mandatory for all Romanians aged over 18, includes the patient’s ID information: name, surname and sole insurance code, as well as basic medical history and blood type. (Romania Libera)
Romania To Perform A New Type Of Heart Surgery For The First Time
A new type of heart surgery will be performed for the first time in Romania, in a private hospital, and its costs may reach EUR30,000, according to heart surgeon Dan Deleanu.
The new technique improves cardiac function, reduces related complications and improves the quality of life.
Percutaneous mitral valve repair (MVR), also referred to as MitraClip procedure, is a minimally invasive technique employed for treating mitral regurgitation (MR). (Adevarul)
PM Ponta Says Forced Conversion Of Swiss Franc Loans Into Other Currency Won’t Tackle Crisis
Romania’s Prime Minister Victor Ponta said he does not believe a forced conversion of Swiss franc loans into other currency, the way Hungary did, can tackle the current crisis.
Ponta also said that banks are obliged to inform their customers better and to cover some of the losses incurred by the recent crisis involving Romanian Swiss franc loan holders.
The Swiss franc, seen as a safe-haven currency in times of crisis, gained 27% on the euro on January 15, hitting a record high, following the Swiss National Bank’s decision to scrap the exchange rate ceiling.
The move to remove the cap on the Swiss franc conversion rates sent the Romanian leu soaring against the euro and dealt a staggering blow to about 200,000 Romanians with loans in this currency, who found themselves having to pay about 15% more on their loan installments overnight. (Romania Libera)
Oil Price Could Hit $200/Barrel In 5 Years If OPEC Fails to Act
Claudio Descalzi, Chief Executive Officer of Italy’s ENI S.p.A, said oil prices could hit $200 per barrel in the next four to five years if the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) does not restrict the supply of crude oil, BBC reported.
“OPEC is like the central bank for oil which must give stability to the oil prices to be able to invest in a regular way,” he said, adding that “the oil industry is likely to cut investment by 10 to 13 percent this year as oil prices have more than halved to below $50 bbl.”
But OPEC’s Secretary General Abdullah al-Badri said the cartel would hold firm for the time being. (Puterea)
Romania’s Electricity Consumption Growth Potential Limited At 0.7%/Year By 2025 – Study
Romania has limited growth potential of electricity demand by 2025, of only 0.7%, which is expected to fall to just 0.2% a year should the deindustrialization process of the high-energy intensive sector continue, according to a study by AT Kearney and Romanian investment fund Fondul Proprietatea.
The deindustrialization of the high-energy intensive sector will also impact households due to an expected increase in unemployment triggered by layoffs within large power consumers.
However, Romania has enough power generation capacities to cover an annual increase of 0.7% in electricity demand. Black coal-fired thermal power plants generate ineffective costs which further generate nearly 24% higher energy costs for the Romanian economy.
AT Kearney and Fondul Proprietatea believe that subsidies and the inefficiencies of the electricity market artificially boost the actual cost of electricity by 24%. In fact, the real cost of electricity is EUR35.5/MWh, compared to EUR43.9/MWh. (Adevarul)