According to sources from the leadership of the PSD-PNL Coalition, Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoiu is defying calls to withdraw his candidacy for Bucharest City Hall, despite indirect pressure from coalition leaders.
Additionally, he is refusing to hold the requested press conference to address accusations of incompatibility until after officially submitting his candidacy for the June 9 elections. This suggests he will clarify matters only if assured of remaining in the race.
PSD leader and PM Marcel Ciolacu asked Cîrstoiu on Wednesday to hold a press conference to address integrity accusations before Coalition leaders proceed with their endorsement.
PNL chairman Nicolae Ciucă has also publicly told Cîrstoiu to organize a meeting with the journalists, where he would answer all the accusations brought against him.
PSD Bucharest President, Gabriela Firea, said on Thursday that the situation of the candidate supported by PSD and PNL for the Capital City Hall, Cătălin Cîrstoiu, would be discussed in a meeting of the coalition, this weekend or Monday morning.
Asked about a possible withdrawal of Cătălin Cîrstoiu’s candidacy or about the organization of a press conference in which Cîrstoiu would answer the accusations brought against him, Gabriela Firea specified that the subject would be discussed at the coalition meeting.
“It has been announced that the Prime Minister is returning to the country tomorrow. Certainly on the weekend or Monday morning we will have a meeting at the level of the governing coalition, where this topic will be discussed, in addition to other political issues. And certainly will make a decision that will be announced later in an appropriate framework, in a political framework (…) I cannot speculate (in relation to a possible withdrawal – n.r.), before the leaders of the coalition, the presidents of the two major parties , to discuss when the prime minister returns to the country”, stated Firea, in a press conference.
Backstage gripe in PNL
Dissatisfaction related to Cîrstoiu incompatibility scandal was heard even from leaders of the National Liberal Party in last night’s leadership meeting. The former president of the PNL, Theodor Stolojan, warned over the doctor’s situation, namely that this whole scandal will fall not only on Bucharest, if the doctor does not come with clarifications regarding the suspicions of incompatibility, but also on the party.
“It’s kind of a mushroom farm … 6 clinics and that kind of other facilities where, simply, the medical records that do not involve a lot of expenses are directed to these private clinics, and the medical documents that involve a lot of health expenses are directed to the state hospitals… So, in my opinion, if the doctor does not come out in the next few days to clarify all these issues very clearly, it will be the bane of the entire election campaign and that will be the concentration at the level of the entire country. We’re already seeing what happens with his delay in clarifying these issues. And the impact will be negative not only for Bucharest,” Stolojan reportedly said, according to Digi24.
Health minister suggests affidavit
When asked about the case of Dr. Cîrstoiu, the Minister of Health Alexandru Rafila, PSD member, said that “there should be an affidavit from the doctors in the hospitals that they do not refer patients to the private sector.”
“I don’t know if we will be able to eliminate it (the practice of sending patients to private clinics – ed.), we will try to do these things applied and in a way that makes doctors responsible. I think that a declaration should be made on the personal responsibility of the doctors who work in public institutions, regarding this aspect, that they do not refer patients”, said Alexandru Rafila on Thursday.
“Some sanctions must also be established that can be applied on the other side as well, and we will soon introduce this in the performance criteria of the managers, it is about the way in which the work schedule is respected in public hospitals”, he said PSD minister. “Because a doctor working in a public hospital must work for at least six hours, and completing up to 7 hours is done through one or two shifts, depending on the health unit,” the minister added.
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