DJ-VR: HEALTH

About the project:

The project “Coordinating and supporting the modernization of the public health in the Dolj-Vratsa Region”, with the acronym Health, was launched to address significant challenges in the healthcare sector within this cross-border area. The region is affected by a declining population, and healthcare services are impacted by restrictive public funding and a lack of efficiency, which has led to some treatments being unavailable locally. In response to the EU’s requirement for effective cross-border medical assistance, this project aimed to increase coordination and efficiency among health institutions.

The cooperation was structured on three key levels:

Regulatory & institutional: Joint work and common analyses were conducted to ensure complementarity and coherence between the health systems of both regions.
Enhancing medical services: The project focused on increasing professional networking and ensuring high-quality treatment conditions at partner hospitals.
Information & awareness: Efforts were made to inform and raise awareness among institutions, medical professionals, and prospective patients.

In a critical development, the project’s newly established Clinic of Interventional Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery at the Clinical Emergency County Hospital Craiova became a triage and testing center for patients suspected of Covid-19 starting on March 27, 2020, demonstrating its immediate and vital role in a public health crisis.

Code: ROBG-160

Financing programme: 2014 – 2020 INTERREG V-A Romania – Bulgaria

Implementation period: 1 April 2017 – 20 November 2019

Budget: € 1,300,322.42

KEY OBJECTIVES

To improve the efficiency and cooperation capacity of institutions involved in the public health sector in the Dolj-Vratsa region;
To ensure that patients benefit from fast access to modern and high-quality cardiac surgery services;
To establish the Clinic of Interventional and Cardiovascular Surgery within the Craiova County Emergency Clinical Hospital to provide high-quality treatment for approximately 3.5 million inhabitants.

THE PARTNERSHIP

Dolj County – RO;

Craiova County Emergency Clinical Hospital – RO;

Kozloduy Municipality – BG;

Vratsa District Administration – BG.

KEY RESULTS

2 conferences in Craiova and Vratsa and a project website – www.scjuc.eu was developed, available in Romanian, Bulgarian, and English;
A joint working group of medical experts from Romania and Bulgaria was established; a detailed study titled “Analysis of the Current Situation of Health Services in Dolj and Vratsa” was completed.
All necessary medical equipment was purchased for the Multiprofile Hospital for Active Medical Treatment “St. Ivan Rilski” in Kozloduy, and rehabilitation works were completed.
A professional network was created, covering five key medical specializations: Cardiology, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Neurology, General Surgery, and Intensive Care. This included five study visits to the Craiova County Emergency Clinical Hospital.
The required medical equipment was purchased, delivered, and installed to equip an operating room at the new Clinic of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery in Craiova; Specialised medical staff were hired, making the new operating room fully functional.