Sustainable partnership between „Nicolae Testemitanu” University and the United Nations Population Fund in the Republic of Moldova

Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy was visited by a delegation of the United Nations Population Fund in the Republic of Moldova (UNFPA), consisting of the Resident Representative, Dr. Nigina Abaszada, and Eugenia Berzan, reproductive health program analyst at UNFPA.

During the meeting with the rector of Nicolae Testemitanu University, professor Emil Ceban, and first vice-rector Olga Cernetchi, the parties addressed aspects of collaboration between institutions, which is carried out in the context of ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health services at the national level, including family planning services and contraceptives – this being one of the targets of the Sustainable Development Goals.

Dr. Nigina Abaszada mentioned that UNFPA will provide assistance to the healthcare system of the Republic of Moldova, in the context of the refugee crisis in Ukraine, especially a donation of high-performance medical equipment in the field of obstetrics and gynecology, with which eight healthcare institutions will soon be equipped in the Republic of Moldova: Mother and Child Institute, Gheorghe Paladi Municipal Clinical Hospital no. 1  from Chisinau, Balti Clinical Hospital, Edineț Regional Hospital, Cahul Regional Hospital, Ceadir-Lunga Regional Hospital, Comrat Regional Hospital and the Oncological Institute.

UNFPA will also provide a significant batch of reproductive health medical kits containing medicines, devices and supplies necessary to provide the minimum initial package of sexual and reproductive health services in any crisis situation, including specialized kits to be used in the context of the clinical management of rape cases, which will also be distributed to medical institutions in the country. "An important and pressing component is that medical personnel should know how to use these reproductive health medical kits," emphasized the UNFPA Resident Representative.

 In this context, the members of the delegation requested the University's support in carrying out an extensive intervention to strengthen the capacities of medical personnel at different levels of medical assistance as regards the provision, in the current humanitarian situation, of the minimum initial package of sexual and reproductive health services and capacity building in the clinical management of rape cases.

Dr. Nigina Abaszada, appreciated "that all the courses related to sexual and reproductive health developed so far have been integrated into the undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum. At the same time, under the medical education program, the method of distance education of specialists in the field of family planning was implemented. All these steps ensure the sustainability of the projects and actions carried out jointly in this field".

 For her part, the first vice-rector Olga Cernetchi, head of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, confirmed the availability to carry out this intervention, stressing that the scientific and didactic staff of the University were the authors of the guides and specialized protocols and the trainers at medical education courses in the field of sexual and reproductive health. Moreover, Professor Olga Cernetchi has emphasized that some trainings are already part of the continuous medical education programs of the medical staff, while others will be integrated into the postgraduate education.

In the end, Rector Emil Ceban expressed his gratitude to the UNFPA representatives for all the projects implemented in partnership, expressing his openness for effective collaboration in the field of sexual and reproductive health in the future. "The implementation of telemedicine components, of an integrated information system, is imminent, as it will allow efficient collaboration between specialists and specialized medical institutions, by training specialists at work through e-learning, for the provision of quality and cost-effective medical assistance", the professor pointed out.

The partnership between Nicolae Testemitanu University and UNFPA has advanced since 2018 and is based on strengthening family planning services and improving the provision of modern contraceptives to vulnerable groups of the population in the Republic of Moldova through:

• the development of standardized clinical protocols regarding modern methods of contraception and the Regulation on the provision of contraceptives to vulnerable groups;

• distance training in the field of family planning and contraceptive supply chain management, by accessing the ViC online platforms - Virtual Contraceptive Consultation (integrated into the University Curriculum, thanks to the partnership between UNFPA and the East European Institute for Reproductive Health and the Contraceptive Chain;

• development of instructional video materials; 

• the development and integration into undergraduate, pre-university and continuing medical education of training programs in the field of family planning for urban and rural family doctors, as well as obstetrician-gynecologists in youth-friendly health centers and reproductive health offices from 25 districts in the center and south of the country. 

• the organization of remote training programs in sexual and reproductive health, family planning and contraceptives, with a view to ensuring the continuity of services in case of public health emergencies for specialists in the field of public health, the staff of the primary medical assistance, the teaching staff of medical education institutions, the personnel with secondary education and nurses; 

• strengthening the capacities of the medical staff to respond to the needs of the population by developing and training on the provision of the minimum initial package of sexual and reproductive health services, in the context of any humanitarian crisis, exceptional situations, or public health emergencies; 

• organizing the training program in cervical cytology; 

• donations of high-performance equipment for developing practical skills in cervical screening;

• the external financial micro-evaluation of Nicolae Testemitanu University etc.