VIDEO // Romania’s health minister in Chisinau says sides through cooperation to be able to strengthen health systems of both states

The cooperation in the health field between Romania and Moldova is long-standing. Over time, it has taken shape in numerous projects for the development of the health system, carried out both with European funds and through other financing lines. Through cooperation, we will be able to further strengthen the health systems of the two states. This message was delivered today by Romania’s Health Minister Alexandru Florin Rogobete, during a joint press briefing with the Moldova’s Health Minister Emil Ceban in Chisinau.

The two officials discussed the work of the health systems and the strengthening of bilateral cooperation in key areas, with a direct impact on the quality of medical services and patients’ safety.

Minister Emil Ceban praised the Moldovan-Romanian strategic cooperation in the field of health and thanked Romania for the constant support provided to the Moldova over the years.

“Romania is a reliable partner for Moldova, providing support and openness through projects and programmes that directly contribute to improving health services for citizens. Of major importance is the substantial assistance granted during the COVID-19 pandemic – medical equipment, medicines and 500 thousand doses of vaccine, with a total value of over 174 million lei, as well as the humanitarian aid provided in the context of the refugees’ crisis, which helped maintain the functionality of the health system. A relevant example of effective cooperation is the cross-border SMURD-II project, worth over 50 million lei, which enabled the modernization of emergency service infrastructure, the provision of state-of-the-art medical equipment and the increase of the medical staff’s intervention capacity. Through this programme, the emergency reception units of the Institute of Emergency Medicine from Chisinau and the Balti Clinical Hospital were modernized. In addition, the Moldovan-Romanian cooperation has contributed to improving medical services for mothers and children. Thus, at the Mother and Child Institute, renovation, equipping and professional training projects have been implemented with funding in the order of millions of euros, which now allow the provision of safer and more advanced medical services,” emphasized Emil Ceban.

The official stressed that good cooperation with Romania had a strategic dimension, in the context of the objective to develop a modern, efficient health system aligned with European standards.

“Romania’s experience as a member state of the European Union is particularly valuable on this path. I would like to thank the minister for accepting the invitation and coming to Moldova, getting acquainted with our health system and our personnel, and together we have identified more solutions for developing the health system of Moldova. I thank the minister for his openness and constructive dialogue. I am convinced that this visit will further strengthen our cooperation and contribute to reinforcing the health systems on both banks of the Prut,” said Emil Ceban.

For his part, Romania’s Minister of Health Alexandru Florin Rogobete highlighted the need to ensure the continuity of reforms, to optimize patients’ flows in hospitals and outpatient care, and to develop screening and prevention mechanisms, which are essential for a modern health system oriented towards early diagnosis.

“The geopolitical situation, as well as the current situation in both Romania  Moldova, compels us to strengthen bilateral relations, especially in the area of developing the pharmaceutical industry and the trade in medicines and biologically active products needed by patients, such as oncology patients or those with other pathologies, for which there is currently no therapy in Moldova. I believe we can develop a system of commercial cooperation between the two states, so that we can support and ensure the treatment of these patients within a transparent institutional framework. I want to thank you for this day full of important discussions, a day that has further consolidated the strategic relationship between the two states and, implicitly, in the field we represent. Through cooperation and the sharing of experience, we will be able to strengthen the health systems of the two states. Together we are stronger,” stressed Alexandru Florin Rogobete.

The ministers also agreed to resume and re-sign the Memorandum of Cooperation between the Ministry of Health of Moldova and the Ministry of Health of Romania, with a clear focus on well-defined and practically applicable areas of collaboration. Bilateral cooperation will focus in particular on developing human resources in health, through exchanges of experience, joint training programmes and professional mobility. An important area is the pharmaceutical industry and access to critical medicines, including the stability of supply chains. Another priority is the digitalization of health systems and cybersecurity, with an emphasis on protecting medical data.

Among the priority areas, there is also emergency medicine, through the exchange of best practices in organizing services and managing critical situations. Another priority is transfusion safety, as an essential element for the quality of medical care and the protection of patients.

Romania’s Minister of Health Alexandru Florin Rogobete is on a working visit to Chisinau today. This reflects the commitment of both states to deepen their partnership in health and to promote sustainable cooperation between the medical systems of the two countries.

Throughout the day, the Romanian minister visited the Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the Timofei Mosneaga Republican Clinical Hospital, and a pharmaceutical company, to become familiar with the activity of these institutions and with the potential for cooperation in the medical and pharmaceutical sectors.

Cooperation between Moldova and Romania in the field of health is based on the bilateral Agreement signed in 2010 and has materialized over time through joint projects, donations, humanitarian assistance and constant support for the modernization of medical infrastructure, the strengthening of health system capacities and the management of crisis situations.