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The second original enLife News interview with Prof. Dr. Alexandru Ulici, Manager of the Emergency Hospital for Children „Grigore Alexandrescu” in Bucharest.
See the Romanian version here>>
EnLife News: Professor Ulici, what is the history of the Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital in the Bucharest and national medical landscape?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: The Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital operated from the very beginning (1860) in the same place where it is still today and is the oldest children’s hospital in South-Eastern Europe. Over time, people who represent the very history of Romanian medicine have worked in this hospital, such as Prof. Cosacescu, Prof. Vereanu, Prof. Pesamosca, Prof. Socolescu, Prof. Ciofu, Prof. Orașeanu and many others. The Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital has always represented a banner for Romanian medicine, and not infrequently, the only hope for many patients.
EnLife News: For what emergencies and pathologies do patients go to this hospital?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: The Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital provides the full spectrum of pediatric emergencies, from traumatic to neurosurgical and cardiovascular ones. About 800 children are consulted daily in Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital and around 50-100 children are hospitalized.
EnLife News: Can pediatric emergencies be solved by the number of hospitals and specialists in Bucharest? Is a supplement required?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: At this moment, the hospitals in Bucharest solve emergencies both from the locality and from half the country. To discuss whether supplementation is needed there must first be an analysis of the current situation. Unfortunately, there is currently no holistic analysis of pediatric medical needs in Romania. Some areas may be marked by excessive pressure and other areas may only consume resources without being even medically effective.
EnLife News: Who is funding the hospital and are you getting enough resources?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: Like any public hospital, we have the contracts with CASMB for DRG and day hospitalization, then the national programs that are run either through the ministry or through CASMB, there are also our own funds in which we can only include sponsorships.
Unfortunately, the maintenance expenses (of the 10 buildings, 2 plants, 9 generator sets, 12 UPS, deep well) do not have separate funding and this makes the hospital very financially burdened.
EnLife News: What weight does Pediatric Orthopedics represent in the picture of the hospital and pediatric specialties?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: Pediatric orthopedics represents about 50% of all patients consulted at the Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital and about 10-15% of those hospitalized, but from an economic point of view it represents the most profitable department, together with ENT, being the departments that support the entire activity of the hospital.
EnLife News: Are you treating congenital or idiopathic conditions such as OI or scoliosis?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: All types of orthopedic conditions are treated, and for cases that are beyond us, we have a close collaboration with clinics in Germany, France and Italy
EnLife News: Care sunt pașii pe care trebuie să îi urmeze o familie cu un pacient pediatric în urgență?What are the steps a family should take with a pediatric emergency patient?EnLife News: Care sunt pașii pe care trebuie să îi urmeze o familie cu un pacient pediatric în urgență?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: Our hospital has strict protocols for all types of emergencies and as a result parents must go to the hospital and then follow the instructions exactly. And parents need to be patient and empathetic to the suffering of other children and not try to enforce protocols.
EnLife News: What do you recommend to parents?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: Whenever the child has a problem to contact the family doctor first and if he declines his competence to call the Hospital with confidence. I do not recommend that the Hospital be the first line in case of any condition because it leads to overcrowding of the emergency rooms and increased waiting time even for real emergencies.
EnLife News: What challenges did you have as a manager in 2023 and what do you predict for 2024?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: Both the year 2023 and the years to come are marked by the mega event of the construction of a new body of the Hospital which will replace two of the oldest buildings and which will represent the heart of the Grigore Alexandrescu Hospital. An extremely bold plan in the conditions of the continuation of medical activity without a break. The new structure totals approximately 12,000 m2 on 5 levels (P +4). The ground floor and the 1st floor will be dedicated to Great Burns and Plastic Surgery, the 2nd floor to Neonatology and ATI, the 3rd floor to ATI, and the 4th floor will be an imposing operating block with 9 operating rooms.
EnLife News: A message for your colleagues in Bucharest and in the country?
Prof. Dr. Al. Ulici: To all my colleagues, I wish them a Happy New Year and may they have the patience and wisdom to overcome the inherent challenges.
EnLife News: Thank you very much for the second interview in this series.
Doctor Alexandru Ulici is a Professor of Pediatric Orthopedics at the „Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy and the Manager of the Emergency Hospital for Children „Grigore Alexandrescu” in Bucharest (link>>)
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