Ultramodern regional hospital to be built in Cahul city of Moldova support of European Investment Bank

An ultramodern regional hospital will be constructed in Cahul with a loan provided by the European Investment Bank (EIB). The parliament today ratified the Financing Agreement for the implementation of the Regional Hospitals in Moldova Project.

Health Minister Ala Nemerenco unveiled the document at the plenary meeting. She said that the new institution would serve about 300,000 inhabitants from the south of the country, including the districts of Cahul, Comrat, Leova, Ceadar-Lunga, Taraclia, Cantemir, and Vulcanesti, providing access to advanced and high-quality medical services.

According to the quoted source, the hospital’s construction will take place on the site of the current Cahul District Hospital, covering an area of over 50,000 square meters. The future medical institution will include a modern operating block with eight operating rooms, interventional radiology departments, cardiac catheterization and advanced endoscopy procedures. The emergency unit will be of tertiary level and will be equipped with a hybrid room for complex surgical interventions.

“The hospital will provide a full range of services, including cardiology, cardiac surgery, neurology, neurosurgery and minimally invasive interventions. At the same time, a regional oncology center will be created, in order to facilitate access to modern treatments for cancer patients from the entire southern zone. Construction works are set to begin in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the project is expected to be completed by July 2030,” Nemerenco said.

She noted that the construction of a hospital is undoubtedly one of the most complex and challenging projects a state can initiate.

“I want to give you a relevant example: Romania, a member state of the European Union, started the construction of three regional hospitals 15 years ago. Only now, in 2025, have they effectively begun the works for the hospitals in Iasi, Craiova, and Cluj. We, in Moldova, started this process in 2020. The projects are being developed with the support of international expertise and it is important to understand that, in our country, no public hospital has been built from scratch since the mid-1980s. Because of this, we face an acute lack of local technical expertise in this field. Along with infrastructure construction, we have also started the process of preparing human resources. For three years, at the residency admission, we have been allocating spots for medical specialties dedicated to the future regional hospitals, such as the one in Cahul. We will also prepare the legal framework for the transfer of specialists from Chisinau and for attracting physicians from the Diaspora. They will be able to temporarily return to contribute to the training of young physicians. It is vital for these young specialists finishing their studies to be guided by more experienced colleagues. This is a complex process that requires strategic long-term planning. It is also well-known that, in any country, the biggest challenges in the first two years after inaugurating a new hospital are related to human resources, especially in rare specialties: neurosurgery, cardiovascular surgery, endovascular surgery – specialists that currently exist only in Chisinau,” the health minister added.

The minister specified that, so far, investments in the health system had reached 3.8 billion lei.

“We sometimes encounter criticism about the alleged non-use of modern equipment. I want to invite all skeptics to visit the hospitals. We do not have any sophisticated equipment that is not being used. Moreover, these investments have radically transformed the behavior of medical teams, especially in districts. They have changed the attitude towards patients, improved the hospitals' image, and increased staff motivation. It is an ongoing process and I understand that some barriers still exist. Accessibility to certain equipment can be improved, but we are on the right track. The proof is in the messages received from the territory. While in the past we predominantly received petitions, now we receive more and more messages of thankfulness.”

Nemerenco reiterated that this project was part of a broader initiative to modernize the health system, which also includes the construction of the Balti Regional Hospital, with a budget of 108 million euros. The new regional hospitals will significantly contribute to improving the quality of medical services and reducing inequalities in access to care.