The survival chances of children who need emergency medical services and intensive care and the level of preventing accidents involving caldron increased considerably during the last few years. This is mainly due to the reform of the pediatric emergency and intensive care system done by regionalizing these medical services. The reform results were discussed in an international conference entitled “Quality of health services and patient safety in medical assistance provided to children”. The event was staged by the Moldovan-Swiss Project REPEMOL and the Ministry of Health in Chisinau on October 25-26, IPN reports.
According to REPEMOL manager Silvia Morgoci, the quality of pediatric medical assistance improved owing to the creation of treatment conditions in the regional hospitals, provision of modern medical equipment and training of health professionals. Moreover, the view of the medical personnel changed and their motivation and commitment to effect changes increased.
MP Boris Golovin, who is a member of the parliamentary commission on social protection, health and family, said in 2008 he personally took part in the launch of the REPEMOL project as deputy minister of health.
“I then anticipated that this project will bring about a valuable change in the health system of the Republic of Moldova and we now all witness this change. “For the emergency medical assistance, since its creation and until now, there has been no such innovative project that would intervene as REPEMOL does. As regards health policies, the project was aimed at the most sensitive aspects of child protection and improvement of children’s access to high-quality medical services in emergencies,” stated the MP.
Minister of Health Ruxanda Glavan in the opening of the conference said the authorities concentrate their efforts on ensuring safer and high-quality services closer to the people. The changes related to the regionalization of pediatric emergency services started at hospital level will lead to the improvement of the whole emergency system.
“It is a conclusive example, first of all for those from the medical community who do not understand or do not accept the regionalization of pre-hospital services for particular reasons. We have a real example in the Republic of Moldova, which is the regionalization of pediatric emergency services,” said Ruxanda Glavan.
Director of the Swiss Cooperation Office in Moldova Simone Giger said the activities carried out within the project that is financed by the Government of Switzerland helped improve indicators in the child health area and contributed to a much lower death rate among children younger than five. This fact can serve as an example for other medical areas. The international conference is an opportunity of sharing good practices in pediatrics with other sectors of medicine.
As a result of the implementation of the Regionalization of Pediatric Emergency and Intensive Care Services in Moldova (REPEMOL) Project, three regional centers of pediatric emergency and intensive care services for children were created at the regional hospitals in Balti, Cahul and Chisinau. These centers provide services to child-patients in northern, central and southern Moldova through an innovative conception and by creating and using emergency admission units in hospitals for immediately helping children in emergencies and by making investments in the equipment of hospitals, with bioengineers and high-quality instruments, and in the improvement of the knowledge and capacities of the medical personnel.
