PRESIDENT DODON STATES THAT MOLDOVA IS READY TO OPPOSE TO PANDEMIC

President Igor Dodon has stated that Moldova is ready to withstand the coronavirus pandemic that should reach its peak in next few weeks.

Speaking at a press briefing following the Tuesday’s meeting of the Supreme Security Council that was dedicated to the COVID-19 problem, Dodon said that the ongoing struggle against the virus is “a question of our national security”, and reminded that from the very beginning, the country leadership discussed 4 scenarios of a possible situation development, depending on the number of infected people.

“Most probably, today we will pass to the 4th scenario designed for an incidence of more than a thousand patients. Analysis shows that in the course of the first three scenarios, we were steering the CoV situation correctly, in accordance with the World Health Organization recommendations. Now we are entering the most complicated period, when the pandemic should reach its peak”, said the President.

Igor Dodon stressed that according to the Supreme Security Council’s estimates, Moldova has everything necessary – medicaments, equipment, protective means, doctors and hospitals. According to him, the anti-virus struggle involves 27 hospitals and other medical institutions, including the just organized distribution center at the MoldExpo.

“In case of need, we can organize more distribution centers, including in regions. Moldovan State-run health institutions employ 12,537 doctors, plus 1,869 medics work in private clinics. All in all, over 14 thousand doctors can be mobilized for the anti-virus struggle, and with an account of nurses and paramedics – more than 45 thousand medical workers”, said the President.

Igor Dodon stressed that Moldova has all necessary medicines, consumables and protective means. Besides this, the production of some of these items has been organized in Moldova. For instance, local enterprises have already made several hundred thousand face masks, about 7 thousand protective suits, over 20 thousand protective screens.

“Our state-run hospitals have over 500 artificial lung ventilation [ALV] machines plus several hundred – in private clinics”, said the President.

Dodon criticized the actions of previous Governments, who tried to conduct their reforms in the health sector, trying to close down raion hospitals and to unite local medical institutions into regional centers.

“The medicine we have nowadays is exactly the result of those unhappy reforms. After this pandemic, we will need to work out a new strategy of healthcare development that will envisage a growth of investment in the health sector”, said President Dodon.