New regional hospitals for 930,000 residents: authorities announce completion deadlines for Bălți and Cahul

The regional hospitals in Bălți and Cahul are scheduled for completion in July 2032 and July 2030, respectively. The two projects benefit from approximately €220 million in funding and will provide complex medical services to around 930,000 residents in the northern and southern regions of the Republic of Moldova. The Ministry of Health says that both investments are progressing according to separate timelines, with deadlines established for each stage.

Bălți Regional Hospital is estimated to cost €117 million, with funding provided by the Council of Europe Development Bank, the European Union and the Government of the Republic of Moldova. The medical institution will serve approximately 630,000 residents from the northern region and is planned to have a capacity of 200–230 beds.

The Ministry of Health is currently conducting a procedure to select a team of consultants that will update the feasibility study and prepare the hospital’s conceptual design. Bids may be submitted by November 16, 2026, while the contract is scheduled to be signed in December.

The update of the study and concept is expected to begin in January 2027. The tender for the design and construction works is scheduled for 2028, while construction is expected to begin in 2029. The consulting services, estimated at approximately 30 million lei, will be financed through a grant from the European Union.

The initial design of the Bălți hospital was prepared in 2017 for a larger population than the number currently living in the region it is intended to serve. Following a reassessment of needs, it was decided in 2026 to adapt the institution’s capacity to the current demographic situation.

Cahul Regional Hospital is estimated to cost €101 million and will serve approximately 300,000 residents from the southern region. Funding is provided by the European Investment Bank and the Government of the Republic of Moldova. The project also benefits from grants provided by Sweden through Swedfund, totaling approximately €1.8 million.

For Cahul hospital, the feasibility study and conceptual design have already been completed. The Ministry of Health is currently evaluating an offer to select a team of consultants that will prepare the international tenders for the design and construction of the medical institution, as well as supervise the works.

The request for proposals was launched on August 4, 2026, and the team of consultants is expected to begin its work in December 2026. According to the schedule, the hospital will be completed in July 2030.

The Ministry of Health points out that both projects are underway, even though the European Union’s Growth Plan for the Republic of Moldova includes only Bălți regional hospital. Cahul project has benefited from financing contracted with the European Investment Bank since July 2025, and its absence from the Growth Plan presentations does not mean that the investment has been halted or postponed.

According to the authorities, the two hospitals will provide access to high-level medical services closer to home, reducing the need for patients from the northern and southern parts of the country to travel to Chișinău for certain complex procedures. The new institutions will be equipped with modern technology and will provide better conditions for both patients and medical staff.

The Ministry of Health says it will keep the public informed about the progress of each stage, including the signing of contracts, the start of the design process and the launch of construction works.