Moldova develops medical tourism to the detriment of its citizens
According to Invest Moldova, the state investment and export promotion agency, more than 36,000 foreign patients visit the country annually, 60% of them for dental treatment.
While some foreigner-oriented facilities have been operating for years, growth in the sector is relatively recent; only in the past few years have dental clinics and IVF centers, among others, begun to attract large numbers of patients from countries such as Italy, the United Kingdom and Israel. And Moldova became president of the Global Health Tourism Council (GHTC) in 2024 for a two-year term, beating Germany and Saudi Arabia.
Natalia Ciobanu, president of the Moldovan Medical Tourism Association and GHTC, says her goal is to turn medical tourism into “one of the largest industries in Moldova.”
Growing market
Moldova attracts tourists seeking a wide range of services, from dental procedures and cosmetic surgery to fertility treatments and wellness programs. According to the Medical Tourism Association of Moldova, infertility clinics in the country report a success rate of over 40%, which is above the European average. Popular cosmetic procedures include breast surgery and facelifts.
Dr. Corrado Palmas, an Italian dentist and founder of Dr. Palmas Clinic, spoke about the rapid growth of his clinic since opening in 2014.
“When we started in Moldova, no one was doing dental tourism. In fact, I was the one who started promoting Moldova,” he told bne IntelliNews. – We started with the Italian market, and for several years we continued to target Italy. Then we started targeting other countries and spreading the word that Moldova could be a better choice.”
Dr. Palmas’ clinic offers comprehensive oral rehabilitation and has helped approximately 25,000 people since its opening. The first clinic, opened in 2014, and the second clinic, opening in 2020, currently employ about 600 people.
Dr. Palmas noted that the affordability and quality of medical services in Moldova are key factors in attracting patients. Prices are about half as low as in other Eastern European countries such as Croatia, Hungary or Romania, where the cost of services is now closer to those in Western Europe.
“At the same time, the quality standards are high because we work with European patients. I practically copied an Italian clinic here,” he said.
Palmas also noted that the industry is highly regulated. “There are probably stricter regulations in some areas in Moldova compared to some European countries,” he said.
A growing sector
The country’s exports of medical services have almost tripled in five years. According to Invest Moldova, revenue from foreign patients is expected to reach about $64.4 million in 2024, up from $25.1 million in 2020.
Patients come mainly from Romania, Italy, Ukraine, Germany, Poland, Switzerland, the UK, Israel, Canada and the US.
“First, we have affordable prices and high-quality services. Many doctors and nurses studied abroad, so they speak Italian, German, Greek, it is very easy for travelers to communicate with doctors,” said Elena Stepanova from the National Association of Inbound and Domestic Tourism of Moldova (ANTRIM).
Stepanova noted that medical tourists tend to stay longer than regular tourists, creating opportunities to combine medical care with cultural and rural vacations.
Commenting on the situation in the tourism sector in general, she adds that the country is careful to preserve its authenticity rather than chasing mass tourism.
“If we talk about tourism in general, Moldova is not for mass tourism. We don’t want to become a mass destination because we are a small country and it is very important to preserve authenticity.”
Building a reputation
Although the medical tourism sector in Moldova is still at an early stage of development, local providers are investing in infrastructure and partnerships to create a full service. Some clinics offer patients apartments or hotel-style accommodation. Packages typically include flights, transfers, accommodation, meals and wellness activities, as well as wine tours or culinary master classes.
Dr. Palmas compared the country’s growth potential to the medical tourism boom in Istanbul 20 years ago.
“Moldova is one of the last countries to fully integrate into Europe. When this happens, everything will grow rapidly,” he said. Looking at the development of the medical tourism sector in Istanbul, he said he sees the same picture now in Moldova.
“We have learned a lot in the last 15 years. Now we are improving,” he added.
“We are a country that is part of Europe and Moldova has a huge opportunity to develop medical tourism.”
Invest Moldova estimates that the country is currently utilizing only about 5% of its potential in exporting medical services, with growth potentially reaching $1.5 billion. Industry representatives say further investment in healthcare infrastructure, hospitality and targeted international promotion will be key to sustaining growth.
According to Stepanova, the potential market is huge. However, she notes: “In urban areas, we lack infrastructure and accommodation. Now we see the needs of the sector, we have some investments, but the focus is on increasing the number of hotel rooms.”
For example, by 2028, Moldova plans to have Moxy and Renaissance-branded hotels next to clinics, and another hotel is currently being renovated to target medical tourists.
“So now Moldova is in a favorable position and I think we need to keep this idea that Moldova is a medical tourism country.” She also notes that this will benefit the entire tourism sector: “People come for medical tourism and then come back for something else.”
The flip side of the coin
The increasing flow of foreign tourists is causing basic medical services, such as dental, IVF, and others, to become more expensive than the rate of inflation and unaffordable for the country’s residents.
Periodic visits to the same dentist show that the cost of a standard filling increases by about 100 lei per six months. This has been the case for several years.
What is interesting – the rates in private clinics are practically the same as in public clinics. (The author checked this in the middle of 2025 on his own experience during treatment and prosthetics in the Republican Dental Polyclinic. Already in 2026 this was confirmed by a close relative who had an implant placed there).
The implants themselves have almost doubled in price in three years.
Statistics show that since July 2024, the tariffs for many procedures have increased, for example, the initial consultation at state prices went up to 253 lei (previously 107 lei). The cost of implantation now starts from 8,500 lei (although private practitioners often prefer to charge in euros).
As of January 1, 2026, Moldova has significantly increased tariffs for all general medical services set by the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance Company (CNAM). Basic tariffs for treatment in hospitals have increased, the daily cost of inpatient care reaches 1,000 lei, and rehabilitation has risen to 13,495 lei per case.
And this, in fact, without increasing the quality of the services themselves – just indexation for the situation on the market, where doctors do not want to work in public institutions, seeking to get to private clinics. Or they combine such jobs.
At the same time, many types of services (including all dentistry) are not covered by health insurance.
Accordingly, they become unaffordable for the majority of patients with medium and low incomes.
Therefore, in pursuit of medical tourists, the state should take into account the interests of its own citizens, who do not earn as much as citizens of Italy or Germany. And try to strike a balance between attracting medical tourists to the country on the one hand, and the health of the country’s residents on the other.
