Health Ministry Presents All Results Of Investigations Into E.coli Infection Cases In Arges
Romania’s Health Ministry on Thursday presented all results of investigations regarding the cases of babies in Arges County, who got infected with E.coli bacterium.
Representatives of the National Institute of Public Health, the National Sanitary-Veterinary Authority and of the Health Ministry on Thursday held a videoconference with the experts of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control during which they presented the results of investigations conducted by each of the three institutions, according to an announcement made by Health Ministry state secretary, doctor Victor Strambu.
Strambu said conclusions will be drawn after assessing all data presented by the abovementioned institutions.
Health Minister Patriciu Achimas-Cadariu failed to voice out his opinion regarding the way it was handled the situation of babies in Arges County, diagnosed with hemolytic uremic syndrome. The conclusions of checkups conducted in February by the Control Body of the Prime Minister regarding the cases of babies transferred from the Paediatric Hospital in Pitesti to Maria Sklodowska Curie Children Emergency Hospital, point to administrative problems, at least at the Paediatric Hospital in Pitesti which, between January 2015 and February 2016, has reported no nosocomial infections, without conducting any investigations in this respect. (Adevarul)
EY: Romanians Find It Hard To Balance Their Personal And Professional Lives
Romanians are much more affected than people in other countries by the changes over the last three years, which impacted the balance between their personal and professional lives and they work overtime compared with employees in other countries, says an EY study.
Audit and consulting firm EY conducted the study “The urban generations and their priorities” in the context of rapid changes worldwide and the different approaches of generations currently active on the labor market. The analysis is based on over 2,500 answers to an online questionnaire, from respondents in urban areas, aged 18 to 55+.
Over half of respondents (51%) find it more difficult now than three years ago to balance their personal and professional lives, while 26% think it is easier to do that now. People with children found it harder, to a greater extent, to balance their personal and professional lives over the last three years – 56% of parent respondents say it was harder to do that, compared with 50% of childless respondents. Compared with the rest of the countries, parents in Romania took the brunt of difficulties over the last three years, followed by parents in Germany (54%) and Japan (46%).
Half of respondents say the number of working hours has increased over the last three years, compared with the previous period, and only 14% say the number of working hours has decreased during the analysed interval. Generation Y (52%) is mostly affected by the increase in the number of working hours, while half of the Baby Boomer generation say the number of working hours has been constant over the last three years. Moreover, 86% of respondents with management responsibilities in Romania say they work overtime – nearly double compared with managers in Germany (45%) or Great Britain (34%). However, according to Eurostat statistics, labor productivity in Romania is nearly six-fold lower than the European average, 7.5-fold lower than in Germany and eight times lower than in the Netherlands. (Puterea)
Number Of Used Car Registrations Rose Over 11% In January-February 2016
The number of used car registrations in Romania rose over 11% on the year in the first two months of 2016, according to data from the Driving License and Vehicle Registration Department (DRPCIV).
Romanians registered 39,328 units in the mentioned period. In February 2016, of nearly 23,000 used cars registered in Romania, 6,404 units were Volkswagen, up nearly 26% against February 2015.
The most sought-after car models are Opel (+31.6%), Ford (+26.79%), BMW (+39.50%), Audi (+52.16%), Skoda (+23.01%), Renault (+19.64%) and Mercedes-Benz (+40.25%).
According to DRPCIV data, Romania’s national car fleet totaled approximately 6.6 million units at the end of 2015, up 5.27% compared to the end of 2014. Some 2.56 million cars were older than 12 years. (Evenimentul Zilei)
Disappearance Of First Home Program Can’t Be A “Defining Element” In Romania – Real Estate Analyst
The disappearance of the government-backed mortgage lending First Home program after the implementation of the law on debt discharge does not represent “a defining element” in Romania, according to real estate analyst Radu Zilisteanu.
Zilisteanu told a news conference Thursday that 120,000-130,000 real estate transactions have been carried out within the program so far, with 750.000 transactions last year alone.
Nevertheless, the real estate analyst said that the implementation of the law on debt discharge will shrink the lending on the real estate segment, which will negatively impact the clients, who will no longer have an easy access to loans. Zilisteanu also criticized the MPs as they did not take into account the opinions of banking specialists when setting up the law, following their political instinct.
Another consequence of the law on giving in payment could be the increase of the appetite for cash transactions, offsetting the recent efforts to stimulate electronic payments. (Puterea)
Former President Basescu Displeased With Prosecutor General’s Actions
Former president Traian Basescu told an interview for RTV, Thursday evening, that he is no longer pleased with the actions of prosecutor general Laura Codruta Kovesi.
Basescu pointed out that Kovesi adopted a “populist” speech.
“I am sadly impressed by Kovesi’s transformation into a person who keeps making statements all day long and is very fond of giving interviews, unlike former prosecutor general Daniel Morar who would rarely do that,” Basescu explained. (Evenimentul Zilei)