Moldova: Team Europe — EIB supports modernisation and expansion of public healthcare sector with €498 000 grant agreement

• A €498 000 grant from the EIB-managed Eastern Partnership Technical Assistance Trust Fund (EPTATF) will support the Ministry of Health of Moldova in preparing a project for the construction of two new regional hospitals — one in the northern city of Bălți and one in the southern city of Cahul.
• The construction of the two regional hospital is a vital part of the government’s plans to modernise Moldova’s public healthcare system.
• The project is expected to be co-financed by the EIB and the Council of Europe Development Bank (CEB), with the EIB taking the lead on the Cahul regional hospital, and the CEB taking the lead on the Bălți regional hospital.

The European Investment Bank (EIB) and the Ministry of Health of Moldova have today signed a €498 000 grant agreement funded by the EIB-managed EPTATF. These funds will cover the establishment of a project implementation unit in the Ministry of Health to assist it in the preparation of feasibility studies, the functional plan, the preliminary design and tender documents for the planned construction of the two new regional hospitals in Cahul and Bălți. Swedfund has provided a SEK 10 million (almost €1 million) grant to cover the cost of the feasibility study and design of the Cahul hospital.

The new regional hospital in Cahul will expand the range of medical treatments available locally for more than 120 000 people living in southern Moldova, including treatments for cancer patients, such as chemotherapy.

EIB Vice-President Teresa Czerwińska, who is in charge of EIB operations in Moldova, said: “The mission statement of the EIB is to improve people’s lives. With the signature of this EPTATF grant, we lay the foundations for constructing the regional hospital in Cahul and thus improving the quality and accessibility of healthcare services for Moldovans. Furthermore, the expansion of healthcare facilities will make the country more resilient to current and future threats and crises, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine. The EIB is proud to cooperate with Team Europe and the Government of Moldova in modernising its public healthcare system. Investing in health benefits everyone.”

Jānis Mažeiks, Ambassador of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova, said: “The European Union provides continuous support to the healthcare system of the Republic of Moldova, contributing to its long-term resilience. In a Team Europe approach, constructing new regional hospitals will increase the quality and efficiency of medical treatments using the latest technology and know-how in the field. The new hospitals will help the public health system to cope with future pandemics and other health challenges better, and will address the needs of the citizens of the Republic of Moldova who live in the regions of the country.”

Working together to modernise the public healthcare system for Moldovans

The Moldovan government’s national health strategy for 2022-2031 identifies the construction of the new regional hospitals in the cities of Cahul and Bălți as the country’s priority projects and key to the sustainable development of the national health system.

The EIB and the Council of Europe Development Bank are currently considering co-financing the project for the construction of two hospitals, with the EIB planning to fund the hospital in Cahul, and the CEB the hospital in Bălți. The new hospitals are vital to increasing the Moldovan healthcare system’s capacity to provide high quality, affordable medical care to the public.

The EPTATF and Swedfund grants will support the accelerated modernisation and expansion of the public healthcare sector in Moldova, and improve its resilience to major crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the war in Ukraine — a shared priority for both the Government of Moldova and Team Europe.

The EIB established the EPTATF in 2010 as a trust fund to enhance the development impact of investment projects and finance technical assistance operations in the Eastern Partnership countries, including Moldova. The trust fund accelerates private sector development, social and economic infrastructure development and climate change mitigation and adaptation.

Source – Moldova: Team Europe