Moldovan doctors will work in Europe and bring experience at home

The doctors in Moldova will be able to work in the EU countries on a temporary basis within a project launched by the Ministry of Health and the World Health Organization and then return home to apply the gained experience, Info-Prim Neo reports. The circular migration will be possible owing to a series of bilateral agreements that Moldova is to sign with EU member states. According to a communiqué from the Ministry of Health, the project aims to create a better framework for legal migration, reduce the negative impact on the health system and facilitate the reintegration of the health professionals returning home. Minister of Health Andrei Usatyi said that more than 40% of the Moldovan doctors left the health system during the last two decades. Many of them went to work abroad. The minister voiced hope that the situation will be remedied with the support provided by the partners within this project. The Head of the EU Delegation to Moldova Dirk Schuebel said the project is innovatory in character. “It is for the first time that a project focusing on migration centers on a group of professionals. This shows once again that the migration of health professionals reached a critical level and immediate measures should be taken to invert this trend,” he stated. Jarno Habicht, the Representative of the World Health Organization in Moldova, said that this joint initiative will enable to ensure at country level the continuity of the WHO’s assistance designed for policies on human resources for health at global level. “It is the second project in the area of health that is financially supported by the European Union and managed in Moldova trough the WHO. This time the area is narrower, but very important,” said Jarno Habicht. The Better Managing the Mobility of Health Professionals in the Republic of Moldova Project will be implemented by the WHO Regional Office for Europe with financial support from the EU. The three-year project’s total budget is €2 million. The activities will start at the beginning of 2012.