International report details poor hospital food quality across several European nations, highlighting systemic issues and patient complaints.
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The Romanian Ministry of Health has introduced a form allowing patients to directly complain about poor quality food in hospitals, addressing a recurring issue that is not unique to Romania. This article, part of an international journalistic consortium called Pulse, examines similar problems across nine countries. While the Romanian patient association noted improvements, some European nations have lower per-patient allocations for hospital meals; Lithuania’s allocation is cited as being very low, and there are frequent complaints about food quality there. Bulgaria also sees constant patient complaints regarding meal quality, with varying daily allowances depending on the hospital. In Hungary, reports of moldy bread, small portions, and spoiled meat frequently appear in the press. Greece often features testimonies about inappropriate or low-quality food due to a lack of national regulation over private catering. In France, surveys show two-thirds of patients are dissatisfied with their meals, citing lack of taste, diversity, small portions, and poor presentation, which can contribute to malnutrition. Conversely, Czech hospitals employ dedicated nutritionists in every hospital to manage the nutritional value of patient food, though general dissatisfaction exists regarding flavor. The Romanian Minister of Health has taken action by publishing a feedback form and threatening sanctions for substandard meals, personally visiting hospitals to inspect food quality, emphasizing that respecting patients includes caring for all aspects of their stay, including nutrition.
