Support the improvement of the legislation for TB patients in Romania

Support the improvement of the Romanian legislation for TB patients’ rights!

In Romania, every year, Tuberculosis kills 1,100 people and affects other 16,000, mostly among the young and active population. The patients are diagnosed late, don't receive complete and quality treatment and don't have access to social protection measures. They are not helped through psychological, social and vocational support to cope with the disease and the treatment side effects or to be socially reintegrated after recovery. Moreover, millions of Romanians are exposed to tuberculosis (TB) and at risk to develop the disease, since the population is not informed about it and how easily they can become infected.

Romania is the country most affected by tuberculosis in the European Union!

Lack of tuberculosis prevention and control measures, regulated by law, and serious shortage of funding for TB control are the main challenges that hinder not only the eradication of the disease in our country but threatens to make Romania infection reservoir for Europe.

A draft bill on the measures for prevention and control of tuberculosis (full text here) has been developed this year under the program "Together for a Tuberculosis-free Romania!" implemented by the Association for Multidrug Resistant TB Patients' Support (AMRTPS) and the Romanian Angel Appeal (RAA).

The proposed bill is based on the results of the research on TB patients' needs in Romania (Report on mapping the needs of TB patients - June 2014) and consultations with policy makers in the field of TB control.

The draft bill on prevention and control of tuberculosis include provisions regulating:

 - The access to rapid diagnosis and complete and correct treatment for all patients with tuberculosis, until the TB has been cured

 - Psychosocial support for patients during treatment, until the TB has been cured

- The right to work leave and temporary disability allowance, without employment record restrictions, throughout the period of treatment until the TB has been cured

- Monthly food allowance for the entire period of treatment until the TB has been cured

If enacted, the bill on prevention and control of tuberculosis will be an important step in the fight to eradicate TB in Romania and for the rights of patients and people affected by TB in our country.

With the entry into force of this law, the expenditure from the state budget for treatment and health care for patients with tuberculosis will drop by almost 60%. The draft bill is backed by a financial statement which includes the financial impact of this bill on the state budget.

Please support the enactment of the bill, if you want tuberculosis to remain a disease of the past century.

Please sign the petition!

Thank you.

Fundația Romanian Angel Appeal    Contact the author of the petition