Having recently been appointed as the General Manager of Medicover Romania, Florinela Cirstina has big plans for the company and sees 2021 in a positive light, encouraged by the widespread adoption of telemedicine and the development of innovative new services for patients.

By Anda Sebesi

2020 has been a challenging year for everybody. It was also a year of innovation and brought changes in the way we perceive the healthcare sector. “In my role as an operational director last year, I had to ensure the safety of our medical staff and patients, and as a leader, I had to keep teams motivated and moving forward. It was a roller-coaster and we made it through by staying together, adjusting in real time to the new context created by this pandemic,” says Florinela Cirstina, general manager at Medicover.

Asked about the positive aspects of 2020, Florinela Cirstina says that the creation of a legal framework for the practice of telemedicine was a big step forward for the local market. “It is a service that will bring substantial benefits in the accessibility of medical services and the quality of treatments. I hope that in 2021 the law on telemedicine services will receive clear implementation criteria, and together we will find solutions tailored to the concrete needs of our patients,” she says.

Although 2020 was a difficult year, Medicover continued to invest in high performance medical equipment for its clinics, attract highly qualified doctors, and extend or upgrade its patient care areas. Last but not least, it developed new technological tools for connecting with patients.

“Medicover developed in record time one of the most secure telemedicine platforms, which it launched in spring of 2020. The service has already been used by over 30,000 people. We have allocated over 30 medical specialties and a total of over 60 doctors to this project,” Florinela Cirstina explains.

In addition, in December of last year, the company launched Medicover eXclusiv, a solution that gives patients access to consultations, tests, and treatment by sending a medical team directly to their homes. “More than 100 doctors from the Medicover network are ready to visit the patient’s home and offer consultations in general medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, physiotherapy or ultrasound, as well as perform medical tests. In December alone, about 400 patients requested this service,” she adds. Florinela Cirstina says that last year was all about empathy for Medicover. “This is why we developed online consultation platforms as well as home consultation and treatment services. Plus, we learned to show empathy to our partners and through dialogue we identified solutions to common problems. This has helped us develop new partnerships or customised solutions for different fields such as hospitality, tourism, transport or insurance.”

Last year, Medicover had an investment budget of over RON 20 million, with the largest share allocated for the expansion of the Pelican Hospital. “In 2021, we will continue to invest in providing patients with access to state-of-the-art treatment solutions. At the same time, we will continue to create the best conditions for the development of other centres of excellence.