Moldova borrows over US$10m to enhance medical services

Moldova will borrow US$10.2 million for improving the quality of medical services. The MPs adopted a bill to ratify the additional financing agreement between Moldova and the International Development Association for implementing the Health Services and Social Assistance Project, Info-Prim Neo reports. Deputy Minister of Health Mihai Magdei said this project is aimed at increasing people’s access to medical services of a high quality so as to reduce the premature death rate and the number of disabled persons among the local population. The money will be used to enhance the quality of primary medical assistance in rural areas by adopting infrastructure standards at national level for primary medical assistance institutions, and to rehabilitate the existing medical institutions and build new health centers. Mihai Magdei also said that investments will be made in infrastructure and medical equipment for the National Clinical Hospital. A strategy will be worked out to modernize the Chisinau Oncological Institute. The loan is repayable in 25 years, with a grace period of 5 years, at an interest rate of 1.25%.