MOLDOVA REGIONAL ECONOMIC FORUM 2025

19th Edition – Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025

Thematic Panel:

Healthcare and Medical Services in the Moldova Region

Speaker:
Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan: Municipal Hospital Vatra Dornei

Presentation topic:
“Needs for modernization and expansion. Funding sources, partnerships, and hospital digitalization”

Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan, manager of the Municipal Hospital Vatra Dornei, brought attention to the realities of the local healthcare system and advocated for the urgent modernization of hospital infrastructure. He also highlighted the fact that hospitals in these communities often operate in old buildings, unsuitable for the current demands of modern medicine.

Vatra Dornei’s Health Infrastructure: A 21st Century Emergency

“My topic is the need to expand and modernize the hospital in Vatra Dornei,” stated Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan at the beginning of his speech. He emphasized that it’s not just about expanding the range of medical services, but about the need for a new building that meets current standards for healthcare infrastructure.

The buildings currently housing the Vatra Dornei Municipal Hospital are over a century old – “dating back to 1902”, noted the doctor – and were not initially designed for medical use. “The most recent building is from 1946”, he added, pointing out that despite renovation efforts across all departments, space and functional flow issues remain.

“From a compliance perspective, the spaces are adequate, but we are severely lacking in surface area and medical workflows. That’s exactly why constructing a new building for the Vatra Dornei Hospital is essential.”

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Financial Inefficiency of the Public System – A Risk for Patients

Another sensitive issue raised by Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan was the economic inefficiency of the healthcare system, particularly in mountainous areas and cities with municipal hospitals.

“There are medical specialties that must be provided, but are not financially viable.”

Both the public and private systems face challenges in certain regions and specialties. In the absence of fair reimbursement mechanisms, the medical act becomes imbalanced and inefficient.

“The patient must be received and treated as an emergency, even if the associated costs are not fully reimbursed. I firmly believe a national health strategy must be developed and debated within a broad dialogue framework — a roundtable involving representatives from the public and private systems, as well as experts from the Ministry of Health and the National Health Insurance House.”

Digitalization: Between Promises and Reality

Although digitalization is a crucial step in modernizing healthcare services, Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan pointed out that many small hospitals are still on the waiting list to access dedicated funding programs for this process.

“We’ve applied for a digitalization funding program. It was approved, but it is still on the waiting list.”

He emphasized the importance of implementing an integrated digital solution at the national healthcare system level, rather than a fragmented application in select institutions. The lack of interoperability between institutions creates redundancies and increases unnecessary bureaucracy.

“Numerous reports are being filed, using the same data and figures, sent to different institutions, which affects the efficiency and quality of administrative processes.”

Conclusions: European Funds – A Lifeline for Municipal Hospitals

In closing his speech, Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan emphasized the importance of non-reimbursable European funds as the main source of financing for modernizing municipal hospitals, including the Vatra Dornei Municipal Hospital. These resources were essential for renovating old infrastructure and equipping the medical facility with modern, high-performance equipment that ensures high-standard medical services.

Thanks to these funds, the hospital succeeded in creating an environment tailored to patients’ needs, while also providing optimal conditions for medical staff — thus contributing to improved quality of care and service efficiency. This experience highlights the crucial role of European funding in supporting the development of healthcare infrastructure in small towns and municipalities, where direct public investment is often limited.

Dr. Valentin Ioan Stan highlighted the imperative of modernizing the hospital infrastructure in Vatra Dornei through strategic investments, integrated digitalization, and European funding, thereby underlining the need for a coherent and collaborative approach to ensuring effective and accessible healthcare services in the region.