Health care issues contained in the manifestos proposed by political parties in the July legislative election were addressed in a “populist, easy to digest manner that practically ignored costs completely”, and were often reduced to mere slogans, says Vadim Pistrinciuc, executive director of the Institute for Strategic Initiatives, during the presentation of a study on the matter.

IPIS aimed to assess the electoral programs and offers of political parties in terms of health care and their visions regarding the development of the health care sector, as well as to identify common priorities.

Vadim Pistrinciuc noted that mainstream parties often have health care specialists and renowned doctors in their teams. This is due to the fact that the profession is in high esteem among the people, especially at the local level. But while doctors have central places on party lists, they often see a lack of support when they try to develop more serious proposals.

Vadim Pistrinciuc suggests that parties should work with groups of professionals so that their proposals in the area of health care are not only attractive, but also achievable, as the expectations are very high in this field.

According to the study called “Health Assessment in the Electoral Programs of Political Parties” conducted by IPIS, in the latest legislative election there were no electoral offers that fully included a systemic approach to health care issues and a vision for the development of the health care system, even if the subject of health was constantly addressed in public discussions. At the same time, there were multiple proposals for strengthening certai components of the health care system.

Health promotion and disease prevention occupy a less significant place in electoral manifestos. While Moldova has been in a pandemic crisis for 18 months, public health emergencies have been mentioned in only six electoral offers of four parties. Scientific research in health was missing in all electoral manifestos except one.