Given that the majority of the people earn 200 Euros a month, the severity of the situation becomes more visible. To fall ill in Romania is expensive, hospitals are poor and treatment is limited. Those who are relatively well off go to Hungary for treatment. According to the article by Denis Grigorescu for the “Neues Deutschland” newspaper, hospitals in Romania resemble horror movie scenes. The Romanian Minister of Health Ion Bazac accepts that only three out of the 431 hospitals in the country are up to European standards, namely the Floreasca Clinic in Bucharest, the Oncology Institute in Cluj and the Heart Institute in Taru Mures. However such neglect of the healthcare sector and lack of improvements in it is difficult to comprehend in an EU member state.

With 3.6 per cent of its GDP allocated to healthcare, Romania comes at the bottom of the list among EU countries in terms of healthcare spending. Some hospitals do not want to treat the elderly. In many hospitals it is not possible to be treated without giving a tip to the nurses. Malfunctioning in the healthcare system causes public reaction. However, the government is yet to take any steps over the healthcare system. The Romanian press features a new healthcare scandal almost every day. Healthcare personnel who are accused by many of neglect are punished only with minor pay cuts. There has not been a single healthcare employee who has lost their job or the right to practice in the last five years.

According to Grigorescu’s claims, hospitalised people in Romania die not only due to illness but also due to the lack of equipment in hospitals. There are inadequate stocks of gloves and disinfectants in hospitals. Health personnel cannot even secure their own hygiene. In 2008 alone there were 10,000 cases of infection in Romanian hospitals. Of course, given that the same figure averaged around 50,000 in the 2003-2005 period the number 10,000 may look like an improvement. However, the situation in Romania is truly frightening.

While the state in Romania does not fulfil its healthcare obligations towards its country, the number of private hospitals is on the rise. Today, there are 66 privately owned hospitals in Romania. Many of these have attained European standards and in 2009 their total revenue was 430 million Euros. Experienced health personnel prefer to work in private hospitals, where the conditions and the pay is better. There are 23,000 registered medical doctors in Romania. In the last three years 6,000 doctors relocated in Western Europe. Romania is losing another 2,500 doctors every year.

Despite all these serious problems it is experiencing, Romania is a full member of the EU. What we are interested in is that Turkey is still battling the criteria set for it by the EU. While many countries which are less developed than Turkey in every respect are full members of the EU, Turkey has been made to wait at the door for 50 years despite its sound economic and fiscal infrastructure, membership of the customs union and its unique geostrategic significance. This only goes to show that the crusader mentality continues well into the 21st century.