On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the declaration of Moldova’s Independence, IPN News Agency decided to depict the portrait of the current Republic of Moldova. For the purpose, it provoked a number of people, including state officials, politicians, businessmen, civil rights activists and persons without posts and titles, but who have what to say. The generic picture is entitled “Thoughts about and for Moldova”.
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Director of the Center for Health Policies and Studies Viorel Soltan: Moldova is independent in taking correct decisions, in publicly and transparently debating problems, in finding ways of solving problems by inclusive processes, in making the country’s and ordinary people’s interests a priority.
Nowadays, we can be independent only in relation to ourselves and a multitude of other factors appear in this case. Director of the Center for Health Policies and Studies (PAS) Viorel Soltan sees the Republic of Moldova as a country in continuous transition. Some of our people already adjusted themselves to this state of affairs, while others still try to provoke a new, qualitative jump. In such periods of transition, you feel as if you experience a continuous confrontation that became chronic and a new, principled approach is needed to end this interminable transition.
Moldova consolidated a democracy that remains weak in parts, but this continues to generate processes that, according to the expert, are irreversible. Even the latest events related to the robbing of Moldovan banks generated a series of processes that will prevent their repeat in the future.
In the area of health, the introduction of mandatory health insurance was the country’s biggest accomplishment. “Then, in 2004, we worked and implemented a quantitative reform, by introducing a conceptually new system of service provision and financing. But the qualitative reform is late: serious intervention was needed in the hospital system to improve the quality of medical services. As this reform was delayed so much, it is now harder to implement it,” stated Viorel Soltan.
The PAS Center director would like Moldova, on the 25th anniversary of its Independence, to be prosperous, the young people to find well-paid jobs and not to go in such a large number abroad. He would like the country to have a good infrastructure that would enable free movement, the villages not to be so isolated, while the distances to be measured in kilometers, not in hours lost on roads of a poor quality. He would also like the health system to be closer to the people and their needs.
Viorel Soltan got married 25 years ago. The health expert said that together with his wife, he managed to grow in parallel with Moldova and had many opportunities to develop. “We can tell the country a lot, but we also have the right to demand. We raised three girls of whom we are very proud and I think it was predestined for us all to witness Moldova’s transformation into a democratic and prosperous state,” said the PAS Center director.
Independence positively influenced the health sector and the Republic of Moldova created its own health system that, according to the expert, is unique in the area of the ex-Soviet countries and is appreciated a lot by the World Health Organization and the World Bank. Since the declaration of the country’s independence until 2005, Moldova had made essential progress in reforming health services. After 2005, the system has been continuously stagnant. The accumulated problems can break out at a certain moment if they are not solved.
The Republic of Moldova remained nostalgic for and dependent on the so-called ‘good’ times: many want to go back because it was better then. “In fact, then, in the Soviet period, the people had few responsibilities because it was the state that decided what is good for the people. Regretfully, this dependence on the pass persists because every time the political class exploits it for remaining in power and obtaining benefits,” stated Viorel Soltan.
Moldova’s independence cannot be compared with skiing, said the expert. This is a rather difficult sport that necessitates attention and concentration, but offers also great satisfaction when the aimed level is attained.
Viorel Soltan would tell his children that they can be proud of the country that has the same age as the marriage of their parents and that their parents devoted a large part of their life for the country to be more beautiful and prosperous. “I would also tell them not to lose hope as, one day, they could find more things of which they would be proud in their country,” said the PAS Center director.
He didn’t choose the Republic of Moldova to be his home. He had a lot of offers to go and work abroad, but he wasn’t ready for such a step. “I think that when growing up in parallel with the country, we hoped that the life will soon become better, as we want it to be by making effort to change it. A little more time and the country will move to the next level... It hasn’t yet moved to it, but I’m still optimistic. There are always chances, but there are also enough people who can miss them,” stated Viorel Soltan.
The expert hopes that Moldova will manage to implement the long-awaited hospital reform, will be able to offer universal access to health services to all those who need and will manage to increase life expectancy, prosperity and the people’s satisfaction.
As regards the participative process, we see how the people become more involved in decision-making and greater transparency in the health policies and a constructive dialogue between civil society and the state institutions is ensured. We are determined to continue to work in all the areas, said the expert, adding that he sees Moldova much more open and oriented to the people than now. During the next ten years, Viorel Soltan wants to see the country more prosperous, with more optimistic and healthier people who would look more into the future than into the past.
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Viorel Soltan is the director of the Center for Health Policies and Studies. He held the post of deputy minister of healthy and was director of the Country Office of the American International Health Alliance. He was also director of the Public Health Program of Soros Foundation Moldova.
Anastasia Rusu, IPN
The articles of the series “Thoughts about and for Moldova” started to be published on July 18. Among the protagonists are: Dumitru Alaiba, Iurie Ciocan, Ana-Maria Tulea, Ion Manole,Olga Gagauz, Stella Ciobanu, Iurie Leanca, Victor Parlicov, Doru Curosu, Igor Meriacre, Valeria Seican, Ciprian Raetski, Andrei Nastase Ghenadie Galca, Arcadie Barbarosie,Valeriu Matei, Eugen Doga, Dumitru Postovan, Petru Macovei, Tatiana Negrus, Maia Sandu, Nicolae Botgros, Igor Dodon, Iulia Iabanji, Mariana Onceanu Hadarca, Aureliu Batranac, Viorel Cibotaru, Eugen Bendilic, Petru Bodarev, Sergiu Prodan, Gheorghe Erizanu etc. When contacted, Nicolae Timofti, Andrian Candu, Pavel Filip, Marian Lupu, Vladimir Voronin, Mihai Ghimpu, Renato Usatyi, Valeriu Turea and others also agreed to give interviews.
