The Ministry of Health’s order to close the Heart Surgery Center is based on the interests of some of the members of the hospital’s personnel who are close to political circles, the Center’s head Anatol Ciubotaru said in a news conference, quoted by Info-Prim Neo. “In 2008, the Center had been persecuted by the Security and Information Service during two months. A legal case was opened against it. Ultimately, the official from the SIS apologized and said that somebody from the personnel has a rather powerful influence on government officials and causes problems. They later tried to dismember the children’s section by transferring it to the Mother and Child Center,” said Anatol Ciubotaru. In 2008, the then Minister of Health Larisa Catrinici decided that the Heart Surgery Center will be transferred by absorption to the Cardiology Institute. In 2010, Minister Vladimir Hotineanu decided to partially restore the Center, while the current administration of the Ministry of Health wants to close the institution and transfer the heart services to the National Clinical Hospital, said Anatol Ciubotaru, adding that there is a battle for a better seat, not for promoting the patients’ interests. “The heart surgery service is very complicated. The operations on heart imply anesthesia, reanimatology and perfusiology. There are many services that must be permanently in contact,” said Anatol Ciubotaru. According to him, the order to close the Heart Surgery Center appeared as a surprise as there were no discussions on the issue. As to the institution’s internal pharmacy, which is unnecessary according to the Ministry, Anatol Ciubotaru said it is a pharmaceutical unit brought close to the patients. Sergiu Ostaf, director of the Resource Center for Human Rights CreDO, which pleads for maintaining the Heart Surgery Center, said these conflicts of interests affect patients’ rights and the public interest. By the October 21 order of the Ministry of Health, the Heart Surgery Center was transferred to the National Clinical Hospital.