Healthcare nongovernmental organizations expected that more reforms will be implemented in the health system this year. “In Moldova, there are preconditions for strengthening the health system. The National Health Policy and the strategy for developing healthcare were adopted. These documents were supported by the foreign development partners, including by providing financial assistance,” the head of the Health Polices and Studies Center (PAS Center) Viorel Soltan said in a debate meeting organized by the National NGO Council of Moldova, Info-Prim Neo reports. Viorel Soltan said the financial resources allocated to the health sector are used inefficiently, especially because of the irrational structure of the public hospital network, the doubling of services and the lack of decisional autonomy in managing hospital resources. In the municipality of Chisinau, there is an excessive number of beds – about 53% of all the beds available in the national hospitals. The Chisinau Oncology Institute that was designed for the entire Soviet Union has a capacity of 1,250 places, but the necessities are much lower. “They hospitalize patients who can be treated on an ambulatory basis or in district hospitals as they want to obtain more money from the National Health Insurance Company. In 2010, the mandatory health insurance funds managed by the Company were about €215 million,” said Viorel Soltan. According to him, in other countries the health systems are based on primary medical care that is cost-efficient. In Moldova, it is the opposite. The hospitals use 51% of the funds to pay for current medical services in the mandatory health insurance system. Their services are used by 10-15% of the population. “The financial resources to hospitals must be provided on the basis of their performance and the needs of the people. There must be promoted responsibility and transparency in using the money earmarked for healthcare,” said Victor Soltan. Speaking about corruption in the system, Viorel Soltan said the managers of the medical institutions are to blame as they can reduce this phenomenon, but do not want to. “If we want to meet the European standards, we must promote the common solidarity and equity values and involve the people in decision making in healthcare,” he stated.