Health Needs Assessment of the Population in Dej–Gherla Area: Quantitative Research

Abstract

The health services plan in Romania is presently based only on epidemiological data reported by the health services providers to the Ministry of Health and the National House for Health Insurance, without systematic studies for assessing the health needs of different communities according to their particularities. This study begins from the hypothesis that there are signifi cant differences between the communities of a county, which impact the needs for medical services. Therefore planning the health services effi ciently and using the existent resources in the best way possible cannot be done without assessing each area and community. The study underlines the main differences identifi ed in the population from Dej-Gherla area to the national or global indicators at Cluj county level, and also the need of local authorities to be involved in planning the health services.

Keywords

• health priorities, health needs assessment, community health planning, healthcare disparities, health policy.