Implementing period: November 2025 – December 2025
In Romania, patients with rare diseases often face delays in diagnosis, limited access to specialized investigations, and difficulties in reaching innovative treatments. Starting from this reality, Dăruiește Aripi has supported, step by step, the development of a medical initiative that would go on to become a regional and national benchmark.
From a local doctor’s office to a nationally recognized Center of Expertise
In 2022, we supported the establishment, within Constanța County Clinical Hospital, of a local functional investigations unit for rare autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases. This unit provided both inpatient and outpatient patients with access to essential investigations, such as musculoskeletal ultrasound and capillaroscopy.
Even during the challenging COVID-19 pandemic period (2020–2023), this unit enabled the identification and monitoring of patients with rare autoimmune diseases, particularly systemic sclerosis. The number of monitored patients grew from just a few initial cases to over 60 patients, coming from both Constanța and Tulcea counties.
As a result of this initiative, the center was affiliated with the EUSTAR European network, becoming a European Center for Systemic Sclerosis Monitoring (Center 216).
Regional expansion and modern equipment
In 2024, the initiative was expanded at the level of the Dobrogea region through the establishment of the Regional Center for Autoimmune, Autoinflammatory and Rare Diseases (CRBAAR).
This step enabled integrated care for patients with rare autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases, as well as for patients with severe hemophilia with musculoskeletal involvement, in collaboration with hematology specialists.
Also in 2024, Dăruiește Aripi contributed to improving the quality of medical care by acquiring a high-performance Philips ultrasound system, which significantly enhanced regional imaging evaluations.
Accreditation as a Center of Expertise in Rare Diseases
At the beginning of 2025, we laid the groundwork for the implementation of a Regional Rare Diseases Registry (which will contribute to the development of the National Rare Diseases Registry), thus completing all the necessary steps for the center’s accreditation in line with the new European directives.
On November 27, 2025, the Ministry of Health officially granted the title of:
Center of Expertise in Rare Diseases – Autoimmune and Autoinflammatory Musculoskeletal Diseases,
thereby recognizing the center’s role in diagnosing, monitoring, and treating patients with rare diseases in the Dobrogea region.
What this center means for patients
The Center of Expertise in Rare Diseases functions as a complex medical structure that includes:
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specialized outpatient clinics (rheumatology and hematology, for both children and adults),
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day hospitalization and continuous hospitalization,
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modernized spaces compliant with European standards, including the rheumatology outpatient clinic, fully refurbished in December 2025 with the support of Dăruiește Aripi.
The center provides:
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early diagnosis,
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long-term monitoring,
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access to innovative therapies,
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medical education for patients and healthcare professionals,
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research activities and participation in clinical trials.
Currently, the center manages the care of patients with over 125 rare diseases, offering both children and adults the chance to receive European-level medical care, close to home.
An important step forward for medicine in Romania
Through this project, Dăruiește Aripi contributes to aligning the Romanian healthcare system with European standards and demonstrates that patients in Romania deserve the same opportunities, the same dignity, and the same quality of care as anywhere else in Europe.