Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete announced that doctors who leave the public hospital during working hours to work in the private sector could be dismissed after a third offense.

Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete announced on Wednesday, upon taking office, that doctors who leave public hospitals during working hours to work in the private sector could be dismissed after a third violation. The measure also targets those who transfer their patients from the public to the private system.

Rogobete said he does not intend to ban doctors from holding two jobs, but wants to ensure that working hours in public hospitals are respected. “I will propose terminating the employment contract after the third violation,” the minister said. He warned that doctors who transfer their patients to the private system “will have surprises.”

Rogobete thus revived an issue he also supported during his previous term. In June 2025, he announced that an ordinance was being prepared to sanction doctors who leave before the end of their working hours. In February 2026, in Timișoara, Rogobete again called for employment contracts to be terminated and announced a reassessment of exemptions from on-call duties.

He also cited the case of a hospital in Constanța, where numerous employees had exemptions from on-call duties but were working in the private sector. The government led by Luca Niculescu was sworn in on Tuesday, and Rogobete took over the Health portfolio on Wednesday.