Specific areas of cooperation were discussed by Moldovan Health Minister Emil Ceban and Romanian Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete during his official visit to Chisinau.
Emil Ceban said at a news conference that one of the first practical steps will be the signing of a memorandum of cooperation between the two ministries. The document will include activities in the health fields of strategic importance and priority for Moldova. In particular, it is about the digitalization of medical systems, including the anesthesiology and intensive care departments in Moldovan hospitals, as well as about the consolidation of the pharmaceutical sector and the development of industrial cooperation between the two countries.
The minister emphasized that the partnership with Romania will make it possible to close the areas where the capacities of the national healthcare system are limited, first of all in the treatment of patients with severe and complex pathologies.
“We are talking about access to specialized medicines, including oncological agents, immunotherapy and other treatments that cannot be fully provided at the national level,” Emil Ceban noted.
For his part, Romanian Health Minister Alexandru Rogobete said that the geopolitical situation and the current realities in both countries require the reinforcement of bilateral ties, first of all in the pharmaceutical production and commercial exchange of medicines and biologically active products. This will make it possible to ensure the treatment of patients in Moldova, for whom there are currently no available therapies inside the country.
“We can build a transparent and institutionalized mechanism of commercial cooperation between our states, which will ensure patients’ access to the necessary therapies,” Alexandru Rogobete emphasized.
The Romanian minister said that digitalization is an essential tool to ensure transparency in medical activities, manage financial resources and improve the health system’s ability to respond promptly to challenges. This process is inextricably linked to the development of modern mechanisms of cybersecurity and protection of patients’ personal data.
“Romania started the process of healthcare digitalization in 2021 and today it is developing at an accelerated pace. There are already fully digitalized intensive care units, and work is underway on an integrated platform that will ensure the interoperability of all healthcare providers – public and private hospitals, pharmacies, family doctors and patients,” Rogobete said. As examples, he cited the electronic medical record of the patient, electronic prescriptions and digitalization of administrative and medical processes.
In this context, in March, Romania and Moldova will organize a joint scientific session with the participation of international experts in the field of health management, as well as hospital managers from both countries. The event will aim at sharing experiences and implementing best practices in the field of digitalization and management of medical systems.
Romania remains one of Moldova’s largest partners in the health sector. During the COVID-19 pandemic, Romania transferred to Moldova more than 500 thousand doses of vaccines, as well as medical equipment and medicines worth over 174 million lei. In the context of the refugee crisis, 20 trucks with humanitarian aid worth more than 6 million lei were delivered to the country.
The SMURD 2 cross-border project worth over 50 million lei was also an important part of bilateral cooperation, within the framework of which the infrastructure of emergency medical assistance was modernized, including at the Institute of Emergency Medical Care in Chisinau and the Clinical Hospital in Balti.
In parallel, academic cooperation is actively developing: 20 agreements were signed with medical institutions, more than 330 scholarships were granted, and hundreds of academic mobility programs were implemented for teachers and researchers from the Republic of Moldova.
