In Moldova, they focus primarily on treatment aspects and less on prevention of disease. But more screening tests and measures to detect diseases early are needed. The mandatory health insurance funds include modest financial resources for preventing disease, former minister of health Viorica Dumbrăveanu, adviser to the Parliament Speaker, noted in IPN’s public debate “Look into the future after a year of pandemic”.
According to the ex-minister, the reform of the primary medical assistance system didn’t have the planned impact. The health workers do not want only decent salaries, but also appropriate working conditions. A young graduate who can find a job in large cities or can go abroad to work will not go to work in a village where there are no roads, units of transport and medical devices needed for examining patients. In particular periods, the salaries were raised, but the performance indicators were cut and the raise didn’t motivate the young health professionals to work in rural areas.
Moldova lost a lot in the fight against the pandemic owing to division and disinformation that had negative effects on the vaccination of the population. “The subject was politicized so that now we witness resistance to vaccination not only among the general population, but also among the medical staff. There is a huge risk – if the doctors refuse to get vaccinated, the general population could later also refuse to be immunized against COVID-19,” stated Viorica Dumbrăveanu.
She noted the regionalization reform of 2016 failed as the assessments and recommendations of the WHO weren’t taken into account, while the effects are disastrous – the infrastructure of medical laboratories was destroyed all over the country.
A bill drafted by a number of experts provides for the creation of a public health center in each district as it is very hard to manage three or four districts where restrictions are applied depending on the COVID-19 incidence rate. A number of amendments to the legislation were made, but the reform should be continued.
Viorica Dumbrăveanu said efforts should be combined to ensure communication and correct informing of the population. “We must get used to living with COVID-19. Even if vaccination is conducted in a number of states, this does not mean that the persons cannot become infected. They can develop a mild form of the disease, without complications and lethal ending,” stated the ex-minister.
The public debate “Look into the future after a year of pandemic” is the 180th installment of IPN’s project “Developing Political Culture through Public Debates” that is supported by the Hanns Seidel Foundation.
