Strategies for Developing the Healthcare System in the Moldova Region on the Agenda of the Health Panel at FERM 2025
100 economic opportunities for the development of the Moldova Region on the A7 Highway route
Vatra Dornei, July 9–13, 2025 | Moldova Regional Economic Forum brought together, over four days, key actors from local and central public administration, the business sector, academia, NGOs, and international organizations to discuss the future of a region at a turning point.
Panel 6 – Health and Medical Services in the Moldova Region, which brought together elite doctors, hospital managers, entrepreneurs, and decision-makers from the healthcare system. The conclusions of this meeting were shaped by visionary professionals who advocated for a coherent medical system, adapted to local specificities and focused on prevention, collaboration, and digitalization.
Roman Boca (Dorna Medical): “We must view health as a pillar of regional development”
The founder of the network of centers and laboratories Dorna Medical, Roman Boca, emphasized at the beginning of the conclusions the need to integrate health as a strategic priority in regional development plans.
“We talk about tourism, investments, economic development, but health must be a central pillar of this effort. Without healthy people and without quick, fair, and efficient access to diagnosis and treatment, we cannot build anything sustainable.”
He advocated for the active support of medical units in small communities, often overlooked in national strategies.
“The small hospital is part of the community ecosystem and must be valued as such. We cannot evaluate it by the same standards as a county or university hospital. We need differentiated policies and smart support, adapted to local realities.”
Dr. Rodica Boca (Dorna Medical): “Without accurate and timely diagnosis, medicine becomes just a form of consolation”
Dr. Rodica Boca, a senior specialist in laboratory medicine at Dorna Medical, highlighted the essential role of laboratory investigations in ensuring effective and responsible medical care.
“Early diagnosis saves both lives and resources. It is essential to educate the population about the importance of regular medical tests and to work on reducing the health education gap between urban and rural areas.”
In her intervention, Dr. Rodica Boca drew attention to the acute shortage of qualified personnel in medical laboratories, especially in underserved regions.
“The human resources crisis is real. It’s not just about high-performance equipment, but especially about the specialists who know how to use it, interpret the results, and correlate them with the clinical picture. Without well-trained people, the system cannot function efficiently.”
Tiberius Brădățan (Suceava County Hospital): “The system can no longer be patched. A new architecture is needed”
Tiberius Brădățan, former Secretary of State in the Ministry of Health and current medical director of the “Sf. Ioan cel Nou” Suceava County Emergency Hospital, delivered one of the panel’s clearest and firmest conclusions, stressing the need for fundamental reconstruction of the healthcare system.
“The healthcare system has reached a point where patches and temporary fixes no longer work. We need a new architecture for medical services, one that considers realities like geography, demographics, population mobility, and service accessibility.”
Tiberius Brădățan emphasized the importance of organizing functional regional networks, tailored to local specificities.
“The current organizational model creates inefficiency, human resource drain, and waste of funds. Moldova has a distinct profile that requires adapted, not standardized, policies and solutions.”
He also stressed the essential role of real digitalization and interoperability between public and private systems.
“Without a unified digital platform and without interconnected data flows between the public and private systems, we cannot speak of efficiency or progress in healthcare.”
Valentin Ioan Stan (Vatra Dornei Municipal Hospital): “The Vatra Dornei Hospital is proof it can be done – with a team and partners”
Valentin Ioan Stan, manager of the Vatra Dornei Municipal Hospital, brought a pragmatic perspective, supported by concrete results, regarding the potential of small medical units in the field.
“In Vatra Dornei, we invested in strong partnerships, continuous staff training, infrastructure, and adaptability. We’ve shown that a small hospital can perform, provided there is vision, a team, and real support.”
He emphasized the crucial role of local administration and community involvement in supporting medical units.
“A hospital does not belong to the ministry, but to the community. When the city hall, local council, and citizens take an active role, the hospital gains not only resources but also direction.”
Valentin Ioan Stan also addressed the opportunity to develop medical tourism in spa resorts, focusing on prevention and recovery.
“Why not create integrated medical packages – prevention, diagnosis, recovery – in tourist resorts? We have valuable resources, but they must be integrated into a coherent system.”
Dr. Mircea Bordiniuc (Suceava County Hospital): “Without excellence infrastructure, modern surgery has no future”
Dr. Mircea Bordiniuc, senior specialist in plastic, aesthetic, and reconstructive microsurgery at Suceava County Hospital, brought forward the need for high-tech support for modern surgical practice.
“Microsurgery, oncological surgery, and complex reconstructions require state-of-the-art equipment, modern sterile environments, and well-trained multidisciplinary teams. We cannot progress in these fields working with outdated equipment and improvised solutions.”
Mircea Bordiniuc advocated for the development of regional centers of excellence capable of serving wide areas, thus avoiding unnecessary fragmentation of resources.
“It is not efficient for every hospital to try to cover all specialties. We need a coherent network of specialized centers that collaborate and complement each other at the regional level.”
Conclusions:
The discussions in the panel highlighted a clear consensus on the essential role of health as a fundamental pillar for the sustainable economic development of the Moldova Region. To effectively address current challenges, it is imperative to implement an integrated regional health plan that reflects the geographic, demographic, and socio-economic particularities of the area.
Strong coordination between large and small hospitals, with complementary responsibilities and specializations, must become standard practice to ensure equitable access and resource optimization. At the same time, it is necessary to promote and support public–private partnerships, especially in diagnostics and prevention, to improve efficiency and expand access to quality medical services.
Investments in human resources, with a focus on the training, retention, and development of medical personnel in disadvantaged areas, are an absolute priority to increase the system’s capacity to meet the needs of local communities. In parallel, real digitalization and the implementation of shared platforms for managing medical data are essential to ensure treatment continuity and reduce administrative inefficiencies.
Overall, the region has valuable resources – dedicated professionals, innovative ideas, and promising initiatives – but it needs a coherent and collaborative framework to sustainably leverage these for the benefit of public health and regional development.
