PROJECT SUSTAINABILITY

The medical equipment purchased within the project will be last generation to ensure a prolonged lifespan.

They will be used in the long term by all patients in need, regardless of race, gender, ethnicity, etc. Taking in consideration that approximately 85% of IOCN’s patients are from all over the country (only 15% of the patients come from Cluj County) it can be said that the equipment purchased within the project will have a national impact amongst oncological and haematology paediatric patients.

Within the hospital there will always be specialists in the field to ensure the functioning of the appliances. Also, within the annual budget of the hospital will be provided sums for the maintenance and operation of the medical equipment.

At the same time, the knowledge accumulated during training sessions can be used by trained personnel in any situation that requires knowledge in the field.

By developing and disseminating diagnostic and treatment guidelines, access to information will be ensured at any time after the implementation of the project. The guidelines will be available for free download in English and Romanian from the project’s dedicated website. Also, 20 printed copies (15 in Romanian and 5 in English) will be printed for using them during publicity activities (conference for launching the project, press conference for closing the project, meetings with relevant stakeholders involved in guidelines implementation and promotion that might occur during project implementation and after the project ends).

Also, in the context of sustainability, the project promoter and the partners will consider the following issues:
– The equipment purchased under the project will be used in diagnostic and treatment medical procedures, in accordance to the institution’s goal and usual activity;
– Equipment must be kept in the possession of IOCN and will continue being used for the benefit of the overall project goal for at least 5 years after the completion of the project for the purpose for which they were purchased;
– IOCN will properly insure against losses caused by fire, theft and other normally insurable incidents throughout the project implementation period and for a period of at least 5 years after its completion;
– IOCN will provide the necessary equipment maintenance for a period of at least 5 years after the completion of the project;
– Goods, services purchased from non-reimbursable funds will have to be recorded in accounts in accordance with the legal provisions in force.

The following aspects are taken in consideration in relation to project’s sustainability:
– Institutional sustainability: by improving technical endowment of IOCN, the institution will make a big step forward in terms of European relevant standards applicable to the medical care services. The high performance medical equipment will improve the diagnostic and treatment capacity of the institution in terms of time, capacity and types of medical care services which will raise institution’s efficiency.
Moreover, trainings of the medical staff organized within the project by PP and national partners will contribute to the institutional sustainability in relation to the human resources – the lack of continuous specialized training programs of medical staff in Romania being one of the factors influencing the migration of Romanian doctors to other countries.

– Financial sustainability: The purchasing costs of the medical equipment (over 2 million euro) would represent a great effort for the public central or local budget from which IOCN receives its usual funding. Since these costs can be supported by the proposed budget, the maintenance costs of the equipment can be easily assured by the hospital, by including these costs in its usual annual budgeted costs.

– Health system procedures sustainability: the project involves the creation and implementation of guidelines in relation to paediatric haematology and oncology diagnostic and treatment procedures. These procedures will be elaborated based on a reliable existing model from Norway. The guidelines will be approved by the Romanian Health Ministry before editing, printing and distribution. This will assure a long-term implementation of the guidelines after the project ends. The guidelines will also include proposals for improvement of the existing health system (creating a unitary approach at national level in paediatric haematology and oncology diagnostic and treatments, comparison of different technologies used in paediatric oncology depending on the diagnostic).

– Replicable characteristic of the project: the project could easily be replicated in other medical domains or in other regions/institutions. The lessons learned during project implementation will be used in the design of future projects initiated by the institutions involved in this project or by other interested institutions.

The following aspects can prove the project’s sustainability described above:
– local, regional and national statistics (mortality, medical care satisfaction, number of treated patients etc.) relevant for showing the impact of the technical endowment improvement in the project;
– number of projects based on the information and lessons learned during project implementation or replicating this project to other domains/regions;
– the equipment purchased within the project is functional and used in current diagnostic and treatment procedures;
– normative acts based on the guidelines created within the project.