Home health care services free for holders of health policies

Persons confined to bed can benefit from free care services at home based on the mandatory health policy. The services are provided by community medical assistants or local social workers. Tatiana Zatac, head of the Medical Assistance Policy Division, has told Info-Prim Neo that these services are intended mainly for elderly persons and persons who cannot walk because of traumas. “This type of services is designed to provide support also to the family of the persons confined to bed. The medical assistant teaches the family how to behave towards such a person. The social worker comes when the persons do not have relatives. According to the agreed norms, three visits are paid weekly, but the number can be modified, depending on the necessities,” said Tatiana Zatac. In the settlements that do not have a community medical center, such services are provided by medical assistants from neighboring villages. They come by special vehicles. In Moldova, there are 341 vehicles of the kind. Statistical data about the number of persons who benefit from medical care at home will be available at the end of this month. The Health Ministry issued an order to carry out an evaluation all over the country. According to the data provided by the National Health Insurance Company, over 100,000 visits were paid at home in 2011. Compared with 2010, the number of visits increased by 15%. The costs for providing community palliative and home health care services in 2011 rose by 39.2% on 2010. The rise is due to the 7.2% increase in the costs of a visit and in the number of visits.