Several medical staff want to resign, Ombudsman says

Chisinau, 25 March /MOLDPRES/- An imposing number of doctors from the Republic of Moldova have announced their intention to resign because of the lack of protective equipment against COVID-19. Ombudsman Mihail Cotorobai made the statement. He also sent a request in this regard to head of the National Commission for Emergencies and Prime Minister Ion Chicu.

He asks the authorities to identify additional funds for adequate equipment and to ensure the protection of physicians from contamination with COVID-19, both at the level of hospital medical institutions and at the level of primary healthcare.

The lawyer says he received complaints from representatives of several public health-care institutions in the country that provide the treatment and diagnosis of citizens infected or suspected of COVID-19, and from the medical staff from other public health-care institutions, which believe that it is not sufficiently protected for any medical interventions involving this category of patients.

Cotorobai believes that there is a danger that many doctors will resign, and under current epidemiological conditions, mass layoffs of medical staff could lead to a collapse of the health system.

He requested the authorities to identify alternative detention measures during the epidemiological crisis in order to avoid COVID-19 infection in prisons. In the notes sent on behalf of Prosecutor General Alexandr Stoianoglo and acting president of the Superior Council of Magistracy Luiza Gafton, Cotorobai calls for the application during the state of emergency of alternative measures to detention for the categories of less serious offenses, involving people over 50 years and with chronic diseases (home placement, electronic monitoring), to ensure the right to life and health of people.

The Ombudsman notes that such a decision is appropriate given the overcrowding of the penitentiary institutions, the insufficiency of medical staff in the subdivisions of the National Penitentiary Administration, including poor hygiene in detention institutions. Cotorobai reiterates he was informed about the concrete situations in which employees from the penitentiary institutions have a fever, about the lack of the necessary equipment for the prevention and treatment of the new type Coronavirus in penitentiaries, especially within the penitentiary institution No16 Pruncul.