Outcomes in Romania

HIV Outcomes Romania was launched in 2019 to road-test our recommendations to improve health-related quality of life for people living with HIV in a country with considerable unmet health needs and a challenging policy and budgetary environment. 

Romania has a large group of people who were infected with HIV as children at hospitals in the late 1980s and early 1990s. This population has been living with HIV for over 30 years.

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    • Prof. Adrian Streinu-Cercel, Senate of Romania

    • Ana Maria Schweitzer, Baylor Black Sea Foundation

    • Bogdan Trandafir, National Union of Organisations of People living with HIV/AIDS (UNOPA)

    • Daniel Scoarta, National Union of Organisations of People living with HIV/AIDS (UNOPA)

    • Daniela Biris, Timisoara Regional Center for HIV Evaluation & Monitoring

    • Decebal Mohîrță, on behalf of ViiV Healthcare

    • Dr. Florentina Dumitrescu, Craiova Regional Center for HIV Evaluation & Monitoring

    • Ioan Petre, Coalition of Patients Organisations with Chronic Diseases (COPAC)

    • Iulian Petre, National Union of Organisations of People affected by HIV/AIDS (UNOPA)

    • Dr. Mariana Mărdărescu, National Institute of Infectious Diseases “Prof. Dr. Matei Balş”

    • Dr. Mioara Predescu, Romanian HIV Center

    • Nicoleta Dascălu, Romanian AIDS Association (ARAS)

    • Dr. Roxana-Carmen Cernat, Constanta Regional Center for HIV Evaluation & Monitoring

    • Dr. Teodora Moisil, Timisoara Regional Center for HIV Evaluation & Monitoring

    • Tudor Ciubotaru, Gilead Sciences SRL Romania (GSR)

MILESTONES

MILESTONES

  • HIV legislation and HRQoL
    The initiative maintained sustained engagement with the Romanian Senate Health Committee to support the modernisation of the HIV legal framework. Proposed changes focused on integrating HRQoL, addressing the needs of an ageing population living with HIV, improving management of comorbidities, strengthening community involvement, expanding testing and combating stigma and discrimination. In July, this work culminated in a high-level consultation at the Romanian Senate, bringing together institutional, clinical, and community stakeholders to discuss the draft new HIV Law.

    Evidence generation and SDG 3.3 for Zero new HIV
    HIV Outcomes Romania finalised its study and public policy recommendations assessing Romania’s mid-term progress towards achieving Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3.3 through the implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy 2022- 2030. The findings were presented to the coordinators of Romania’s nine regional HIV centres at a scientific meeting organised by the Iași Regional Centre for HIV/AIDS Monitoring and Evaluation, in collaboration with the National Institute for Infectious Diseases ‘Prof. Dr. Matei Balș’ and members of the HIV Outcomes Romania initiative.

    National advocacy coalition
    Building on this process, HIV Outcomes Romania drafted a Joint Call to Action, endorsed by the heads of Romania’s regional HIV treatment centres. Addressed to the Ministry of Health and other relevant ministries, it calls for accelerated implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and modernisation of the HIV Law, and was officially launched at the Romanian Senate.

    Strengthening the community sector
    HIV Outcomes Romania conducted the study The Role, Impact and Potential of the Third Sector in Romania’s Response to HIV, whose findings were further refined through consultations with NGOs and community representatives. The study and its policy recommendations sought to promote the sustainability of Romania’s HIV third sector and meaningful community involvement as essential components of future HIV legislation and of a sustainable, person-centred national HIV response. The study’s findings were also promoted at high-level public policy events and informed the development, in cooperation with representatives of people living with HIV in Romania (UNOPA), of the policy document Bucharest HIV Manifesto- A Manifesto for Living with HIV in Health, Dignity and Equity. 40 Years after the Beginning of the HIV Epidemic in Romania - Time to Act!

    National and European visibility
    HIV Outcomes Romania contributed to Romania’s 2026 Dublin Declaration monitoring, promoted integrated and multidisciplinary HIV care at national conferences, and brought the HRQoL and HIV prevention perspective into European policy discussions. In July, the Secretariat participated in the European Parliament’s Europa Connect-Health EU Summit, hosted by EP Vice-President Victor Negrescu, ensuring that HRQoL and HIV prevention were reflected in the discussions on the future of European health policy.

    Communication and dissemination
    HIV Outcomes Romania launched its Newsletter 1/2026, promoting an HRQoL-centred approach to HIV policy and disseminating members’ work and policy priorities to relevant stakeholders. In parallel, HIV Outcomes Romania’s public policy recommendations on ensuring adequate and sustainable funding for the National Health Programmes, to support the effective implementation of the National HIV/AIDS Strategy and enable the highest attainable HRQoL for all people living with HIV, were presented at high-level policy and scientific events. These included Health Programmes- A Source of National Security, organised by the Curs de Guvernare platform at the Romanian Senate, and the international conference Infectious Diseases and HIV Dialogues 2026, organised by ESCMID and EACS at the Romanian Senate.

  • HIV Outcomes Romania co-launched the Bucharest HIV Manifesto: Living with HIV in Health, Dignity and Equity – 40 Years Since the Start of the HIV Epidemic in Romania, and continued to reshape national HIV policy, working alongside community representative UNOPA and the Chair of the Senate Healthcare Committee to alter social policies on improving quality of life of people living with HIV.

    We co-authored advocacy papers with the Ministry of Health HIV Monitoring Council on U=U and community engagement, and submitting legislative amendments to the Senate to enshrine HRQoL, ageing with HIV, stigma reduction, and a National HIV Awareness Day.

    We’re engaging with over 1,650 family doctors nationwide to promote the importance of integrated care for people living with HIV, and further strengthened partnerships and outreach by launching quarterly newsletters.

  • We promoted the results of our Quality of Life Study across the National Conference on Infectious Diseases at the Romanian Parliament, HIV & Women 2024 in Washington, and presentations at the 2025 HIV & Women International Conference.

    HIV Outcomes Romania strengthened our policy influence by co-organising World AIDS Day 2024 in Bucharest with UNOPA and national key opinion leaders, launching joint calls to action with the National Society of Infectious Diseases and HIV/AIDS, on HIV Undetectable = Untransmittable (U=U), stigma reduction, comorbidities management, and prevention of vertical transmission, while also advocating for dedicated HIV budget allocations through letters and consultations with the Ministry of Health and Parliament.

  • We launched a national Quality of Life study with 1,050 participants at the Romanian Senate, publishing our Policy Recommendations, and presenting findings at major international forums including EACS 2023 in Warsaw, World AIDS Day in the European Parliament, and several other scientific conferences.

    We were covered in Viața Medicală (Medical Life), engaged with the Ministry of Health and Parliament on social security reform, tailored European HIV Outcomes Policy Asks to Romania, and promoted the use of PROMs and best practices in HIV care.

    We also pushed for the urgent implementation of the Romanian National HIV Strategy 2022-2030, organised World AIDS Day Bucharest 2023 and issued joint calls to action and advocacy letters supported by NGOs, clinicians, and over 70 experts.

  • HIV Outcomes Romania helped shape national health policy by ensuring the inclusion of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) in the Romanian HIV Strategy 2022–2030 and the National Healthcare Strategy 2022-2030, backed by strong advocacy tools such as joint declarations, a joint call to action with over 70 HIV experts, and letters to decision-makers- presented at an event in the Romanian Senate: “HIV Infection – Where to?”

    The initiative advanced the evidence base by launching a national study on the quality of life of people living with HIV (1,050 questionnaires) with the National Institute for Communicable Diseases Prof Dr Matei Bals and national HIV care network, and by producing three videos and insights on pressing issues for Romanian and European policies, including the needs of Ukrainian refugees.

  • HIV Outcomes Romania held a virtual high-level policy event on Improving the well‑being and quality of life of people living with HIV by combating stigma and discrimination, bringing together the Romanian government, parliament and EU presidency, patients, the HIV community, healthcare networks, researchers and industry. We also held a roundtable to boost the role of people living with HIV in shaping national policy, Nothing about us, without us – Delivering health-related quality of life for people living with HIV.

    We expanded our Steering Group with 5 new members including clinicians, community members and an NGO, strengthening representation across regions and partners.

  • With the breakout of the COVID pandemic, we exchanged with Romanian officials on the impact of COVID-19 on the quality of life and health for people living with HIV. These informed exchanges with government and political stakeholders, on accessing specific HIV treatment and managing comorbidities.

    We kept up the momentum for greater action and long-term measures to tackle HIV.

  • HIV Outcomes Romania formally launched in January 2019 and we approved our inaugural national Work Plan, with its newly established Romanian Steering Group, bringing together

    • national leaders in HIV research and medical care

    • community representatives

    • NGOs

    • industry

    We translated HIV Outcomes recommendations into Romanian, laying the groundwork for the national advocacy.

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