Oncology patients now have faster access to high-performance diagnostic services thanks to the “Oncology Patient” program, reports the National Health Insurance Company (NHIC). The total contracted amount for this year is nearly 54 million lei, enabling approximately 16,500 high-performance medical services, nearly three times the amount compared to last year, IPN reports.
Nearly a thousand people benefit each month from the services included in the “Oncology Patient” program, which “reflects the positive impact of the company’s actions in enhancing access to essential diagnostics for oncology patients”. In the first 10 months of this year, more than 11,000 diagnostics were performed, totaling over 37 million lei, NHIC notes.
The waiting time for oncology patients requiring various types of CT scans and MRIs has been significantly reduced, from 21 days at the beginning of the year to 3-5 days currently.
The most requested services offered within the program are contrast and non-contrast CT scans for oncology evaluations, as well as MRIs of the brain, abdomen, or pelvic organs using a 1.5 Tesla machine with contrast. CT scans for oncology evaluations accounted for more than half of the services provided since the beginning of this year, with each such investigation costing around five thousand lei.
Currently, referral tickets for these investigations are issued by specialist doctors. Scheduling for these services is handled by NHIC, and oncology patients are not required to pay for these diagnostics, as they are fully covered by mandatory health insurance for both insured and uninsured patients.
