ABSTRACT
In each of the former socialist countries discussed thus far, the long-termdecline in life expectancy has shown either recent (Russia, Hungary, and Poland) or definite (Czech Republic and Slovakia) signs of improvement. This is not the case in Romania. Mortality is continuing to rise and male life expectancy to decline. In fact, longevity among Romanian males is lower in the mid-1990s than it was in the mid-1960s. The health crisis in Romania is clearly not over and this chapter explains why this is the case.
