Moldovan cabinet considers concept of primary medical assistance reform

Chisinau, 27 April /MOLDPRES/ – The Ministry of Healthcare, Labour and Social Protection (MSMPS) has presented concept of the primary healthcare reform today, within a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Pavel Filip, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

PM said that reforming of healthcare system is a government priority, throughout three key reforms: public, primary and hospital healthcare. These reforms have to be addressed in a complex mode.

The public healthcare service reform's implementation, aiming to prevent and promote healthy lifestyle, is already under way. The next is the reform of primary healthcare which, being strengthened, will make it easier to carry out hospital reform. A special aspect is also proper endowment of ambulance service for transport of emergency patients.

According to concept of primary medicine reform's authors, system is facing more problems now: low efficiency, excessive bureaucracy, low list of compensated medicines, lack of medical staff, especially in the country.

There is proposed a new approach, in order to change things, for greatly enhance role and prestige of the family doctor as key person to call the patient for healthcare.

As a result of implementation of primary healthcare reform, system will gradually be connected to European – based model, upon practice of family medicine, problem of shortage of doctors within rural localities will be solved by uniform redistribution of specialists, spending on healthcare, increases wages of doctors and will increase quality of provided services.

A special emphasis will be placed on liability and initiative of family doctor – a practitioner who will be able to decide for firstly upon activity form: provision of services in individual or group practice or activity in existing institutions. Also, there will be provided financial and logistical inducements, as to cover shortage of physicians in villages.

The normative framework for implementation of suggested conceptual solutions is to be drafted and approved by end of June 2018. And, preparations for direct contracting new providers by National healthcare insurance company (CNAM) will be finalised by end of October 2018.