Romania launches its first integrated children’s diabetes clinic in Bucharest

Salvaţi Copiii is fundraising for Romania’s inaugural integrated university clinic in Bucharest to improve care for children with diabetes, amid rising cases and complex treatment needs, aiming to serve over 1,500 young patients annually.

Romania plans first integrated children’s diabetes clinic in Bucharest

Salvaţi Copiii has launched a fundraising drive for what it says would be Romania’s first integrated university clinic for children with diabetes, nutrition and metabolic diseases, with the centre due to open at the CF2 Clinical Hospital in Bucharest. The organisation estimates the project will cost more than €1.5 million and says the clinic should be able to treat 1,000 to 1,500 children a year.

The initiative comes as Romania faces a growing burden of childhood type 1 diabetes. Salvaţi Copiii says more than 4,000 children in the country are living with the condition, and the National Register of Children with Type 1 Diabetes recorded 4,036 cases in January 2026. Research cited by the organisation suggests the incidence has continued to rise over time, with studies in Romanian children showing average annual increases of about 5% to 5.6% in different periods.

To draw attention to the daily reality faced by young patients, the charity has built a bed covered in needles inside one of the clinic’s future rooms. The display marks the start of a campaign called “AU. Primul pat din ace”, a reference to the many injections and glucose checks that can define life for a child with diabetes. Salvaţi Copiii estimates that a child diagnosed in early childhood may face between 36,000 and 75,000 needle pricks by age 18, counting insulin injections and daily blood sugar tests.

Gabriela Alexandrescu, executive president of Salvaţi Copiii, said children with the disease are forced to take on responsibilities that can overwhelm even adults. She said the aim is to provide diagnosis, treatment and complete care in one place, along with a multidisciplinary medical team, therapeutic education and psychological support.

The planned clinic will occupy more than 830 square metres after the reorganisation of one floor at CF2, where occupancy for continuous admissions was 0% in 2024. The centre will have 15 beds and will also treat children with endocrine conditions. It will include inpatient and day-care services, outpatient consultations and digital booking, alongside equipment for diagnosing diabetes and related complications.

The project is being developed with CF2 Hospital and the Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy, giving it a teaching role as well as a clinical one. Staff are expected to include a paediatric diabetologist, a paediatric endocrinologist, a clinical paediatric nutritionist, a psychologist and a geneticist. Anca Pantea Stoian, a senior doctor in diabetes, nutrition and metabolic diseases at Carol Davila University, said some children as young as 7 or 8 already have to calculate insulin doses, work out carbohydrates and respond to hypoglycaemia.

The clinic is also intended to help with one of the most difficult stages in diabetes care: the move from paediatric to adult services. Viorel Jinga, rector of the university, said the centre should become a national benchmark for the care of children with diabetes and metabolic diseases and a model for future university clinics across the country.

Salvaţi Copiii is asking people to support the project with monthly donations of €5 by SMS to 8835, using the text SALVEZ. The charity says the money will go towards building and equipping the clinic.