Romanian Vocabulary: Healthcare and Sexual Health

The Healthcare System

CNAS — Casa Națională de Asigurări de Sănătate — National Health Insurance House. The public health insurance system. Your access to free public healthcare depends on being insured through CNAS.

CNP — Cod Numeric Personal — your 13-digit national identification number, similar to a national insurance number. Required for public health services, though ARAS does not require it.

Medic de familie — family doctor / GP. Your assigned primary care doctor. Not everyone in Romania has one; finding and registering with a medic de familie is important for accessing the public system.

Trimitere — referral. Required to see a specialist (specialist) through the public system. Without a trimitere, you typically cannot access outpatient specialist care for free.

Ambulatoriu — outpatient department. Where you attend for non-emergency specialist consultations.

Camera de Gardă — emergency department / A&E. Open 24 hours. Where you go for PEP.

Spital de Boli Infecțioase — Infectious Diseases hospital. Matei Balș and Victor Babeș are both boli infecțioase hospitals.

Farmacie — pharmacy / chemist. Public pharmacies dispense prescriptions. Hospital pharmacy (farmacie de spital) is where PrEP is dispensed.

Key Medical Terms

HIV — HIV (same as English; pronounced "hah-ee-veh" in Romanian)

SIDA — AIDS (Sindromul Imunodeficienței Dobândite)

BTS — Boală cu Transmitere Sexuală — sexually transmitted disease (older term). More current: IST — Infecție Sexuală Transmisibilă (STI).

PPE — Post-Expunere Profilaxie — PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis). Both "PPE" and "PEP" are understood by healthcare workers.

PrEP — Profilaxie Pre-Expunere — same concept as in English

Gonoree — gonorrhoea

Chlamydia — chlamydia (same word)

Sifilis — syphilis

Hepatită — hepatitis

Analize — blood/lab tests

Rezultat — result

Prescripție / Rețetă — prescription

Swab Terms — Three-Site Testing

Exsudat — swab / smear (the sample type)

Exsudat faringian — throat swab. For gonorrhoea and chlamydia in the throat. You may also hear tampon faringian.

Exsudat anal or exsudat rectal — rectal swab. For gonorrhoea and chlamydia in the rectum.

Exsudat uretral — urethral swab. For gonorrhoea and chlamydia in the urethra.

Probă de urină — urine sample. Not sufficient on its own for a complete STI screen — it will miss throat and rectal infections.

Key Phrases

At testing: "Vreau să fac un screening complet pentru IST, inclusiv exsudat faringian, anal și uretral." "I want a complete STI screen, including throat, anal, and urethral swabs."

"Am relații sexuale anale receptive și orale în mod regulat." "I regularly have receptive anal sex and oral sex." (Establishes clinical context for three-site testing)

At Camera de Gardă for PEP: "Am avut un contact sexual cu risc de HIV și am nevoie de profilaxie post-expunere." "I had a sexual contact with HIV risk and I need post-exposure prophylaxis."

"Am nevoie de PEP pentru HIV. A fost acum mai puțin de 72 de ore." "I need PEP for HIV. It was less than 72 hours ago."

For PrEP: "Vreau să încep PrEP. Am factori de risc ridicat." "I want to start PrEP. I have high-risk factors."

For vaccines: "Aș vrea să mă vaccinez împotriva Mpox / hepatitei A / hepatitei B." "I would like to be vaccinated against Mpox / hepatitis A / hepatitis B."

General: "Nu vorbesc bine românește — există cineva care vorbește engleză?" "I don't speak Romanian well — is there someone who speaks English?"

Emergency Numbers

Number	Service
112	Emergency services (ambulance, police, fire)
021 252 43 70	ARAS Checkpoint (Bucharest)
021 201 09 80	Matei Balș Camera de Gardă (Bucharest)