Healthcare workers begin nationwide strike over pay reform in Romania

28 July 2026 Doctors, nurses, and other healthcare workers in hundreds of Romanian hospitals began an indefinite nationwide strike on Tuesday, July 28, after talks with the authorities failed to resolve a dispute over the planned wage law reform and other labor grievances. Union leaders said only emergency services and one-third of normal medical activity would be maintained during the strike. The Sanitas Federation, Romania's largest healthcare and social assistance union, said it was proceeding with the general strike after a mediation meeting on Monday at the Presidential Administration ended without a concrete solution. “We reiterated that the healthcare system needs urgent measures so it can care for patients as they truly deserve," Sanitas said in a statement, adding that the interim