Support / Info
🧭 What support exists for you, the carer
Money, counselling, practical help and organisations that can support you — the complete map of carer resources in Romania.
1. Carer's leave — your direct right
Up to 45 days per year of paid medical leave (85% of income) to accompany the patient to treatments, under Law 24/2022. It is your most important right as a carer and we dedicate a full article to it — you will find it in the links below.
2. Reimbursed psychological counselling — for you, not only the patient
As a beneficiary of carer's leave you are entitled, yearly, to a psychological evaluation and at least 5 reimbursed counselling sessions. Separately, since 2023 psycho-oncology is regulated in Romania and psychological support services for patients and families are growing in the large hospitals. Ask at the hospital where the patient is treated whether a clinical psychologist is available — the service often exists but is announced nowhere.
3. Supports you can activate for the patient (which ease everything you carry)
The disability classification certificate can bring the patient a monthly allowance, free travel tickets and other facilities. An oncology patient's own medical leave is paid at 100%. Medicines in the national oncology programme are free. Every patient right you obtain means less financial pressure on the family — which includes you. The complete list, with steps for each, is in OncoDots' "Financial rights" section.
4. If care becomes permanent: the personal assistant
When the patient receives a severe disability classification "with personal assistant", a family member can officially become their personal assistant: either employed by the town hall with a salary, or the patient can opt for an equivalent monthly allowance. It is the legal solution for the situation where you gave up your job to care for someone. It goes through the social-assistance directorate (DGASPC) — the process takes paperwork and patience, but it exists and tens of thousands of families use it.
5. Organisations that genuinely help
You are not alone in this. The Federation of Cancer Patient Associations (FABC) brings together patient associations across the country and offers free guidance, including for family carers. There are associations offering transport to treatment, accommodation near hospitals for out-of-town families, and emotional-support phone lines. The OncoDots services directory gathers verified services, by city.
6. The practical help around you — organise it, don't carry it alone
The most under-used "support" doesn't come from the state: it comes from the people who say "tell me if I can do anything" — and never get a concrete answer. Make a list of tasks you can hand over: errands, shopping, cooking, staying with the patient for an afternoon. In OncoDots, the Care Circle exists exactly for this: you share tasks with family and friends without repeating every piece of information ten times.
Key points
What to remember from this article
- ✓You have direct rights: carer's leave (45 days/year at 85% of income) and reimbursed psychological counselling.
- ✓The patient's rights (disability status, 100% medical leave, free medicines) reduce pressure on the whole family — activate them.
- ✓For permanent care there is the personal-assistant status, with a salary or monthly allowance.
- ✓Patient associations (e.g. FABC) offer free guidance for family carers too.
- ✓Practical help must be organised — use a task list or the Care Circle.
When to ask for help
If bureaucracy overwhelms you, don't push through alone: a patient association or the hospital's social worker can guide you through the paperwork ten times faster than trial-and-error trips.
A note on legal information
This article reflects our understanding of the rules in Romania as of the verification date below. Laws and norms can change — always check the official sources or ask the insurance house before making decisions.
Sources verified on: July 17, 2026
Official sources
The documents this article is based on
Where to continue
Other relevant resources in OncoDots
A note from us
The information here is for orientation and does not replace professional medical, legal or financial advice.