Collective 2020

On October 30, 2015, the metal band Goodbye to Gravity takes the stage at a club named Colectiv in Bucharest, Romania. Unfortunately, a catastrophic fire breaks out due to pyrotechnics, leading to the tragic deaths of 27 individuals right away, with 180 others suffering injuries. In the ensuing months, 37 more victims succumb to their injuries, largely as a result of the inadequate healthcare provided by public hospitals.

In the aftermath, a group of dedicated journalists begins to scrutinize the alarming mismanagement within the healthcare system. They receive alarming tips indicating that the disinfectants used at hospitals are diluted, which subsequent tests confirm. This leads them to expose the supplier, Hexi Pharma, in a compelling report highlighting how it falsified documentation regarding its disinfectants and the government’s failure to verify the supplier’s legitimacy. The Minister of Health, Patriciu Achimaș-Cadariu, promptly orders an investigation. However, during a television interview, Cătălin Tolontan passionately argues for the truth, only to have the Minister dismiss his claims, insisting that tests show the disinfectants are 95 percent effective.

Undeterred, the journalists continue their investigation and uncover that the intelligence service was aware for years that bacterial infections were responsible for numerous deaths yet took no action. After publishing this explosive information, mass protests erupt, demanding accountability for the rampant corruption and inadequate healthcare. In this climate of unrest, the Health Minister resigns, and a criminal probe is initiated against the CEO of Hexi Pharma, Dan Condrea. A press conference reveals that the tests on Hexi Pharma’s products indeed confirmed they were all diluted. When Tolontan presses the Ministry of Health regarding the earlier claim of effectiveness, they abruptly refuse to comment on their previous statements. Tragically, Condrea meets an untimely death in a car accident shortly after these revelations.

As the investigation progresses, The Gazette receives a shocking video showing a patient in a hospital plagued by maggots in their wound. A frustrated doctor sheds light on the worsening situation, revealing that even after a governmental overhaul in late 2015, deaths from diluted disinfectants and medical negligence persist. Now in charge, Vlad Voiculescu, the new Minister of Health, meets with the doctor, who details the inhumane treatment patients receive and the bribery schemes rampant among hospital staff and management.

Voiculescu discovers that the rot goes deep within the system; every public hospital is entangled in profound corruption. He realizes his hands are tied, as he cannot dismiss the corrupt managers who bribed their way into their positions and thus insists on imposing stringent regulations on any new appointments. He acknowledges that genuinely rooting out corruption may mean “firing everyone.” When he decides to reallocate funds away from a risky lung transplant unit, he becomes the target of backlash from Mayor Gabriela Firea, who accuses him of squandering taxpayer money by transferring patients to Vienna, despite claims of full accreditation for procedures in Bucharest. In a private discussion, a professor confides the truth about the accreditation being politically influenced and implores Voiculescu to keep this information under wraps to avoid a scandal.

On election day, the Social Democrats sweep the polls, earning the majority of votes. At The Gazette, Tolontan’s colleague reveals they’ve received warnings about the safety of the journalists and their families. To facilitate the deteriorating state of affairs, an unqualified and legally prohibited manager is appointed to oversee the public hospital, thus perpetuating the cycle of negligence and corruption.