Public health emergency operations center inaugurated in Chisinau

Chisinau, 25 August /MOLDPRES/- Today, Prime Minister Ion Chicu participated in the launch of public health emergency operations center of the National Agency for Public Health, the government's communication and protocol department has reported.

Attending the event were ambassadors of EU countries accredited in Chisinau, Igor Pokanevych, WHO representative in Moldova, and Simon Springett, UN resident in our country. Dr. Hans H. Kluge, Regional Director of WHO Regional Office for Europe, joined the event online.

The premier welcomed the opening of the Center and thanked the international partners for their support. "I would like to thank the European Union and the World Health Organization, which have contributed and are contributing significantly to the development of healthcare system in Moldova during the pandemic and over the years. This project, carried out with the financial and technical support of our reliable partners, is an example of the operational implementation of project ", he said.

The public health emergency operations center is the first of its kind in public health in the country, which will ensure the connection between partners in the health system and specialists in other areas directly or indirectly involved in the country's response measures. It meets modern communication requirements, with high-performance equipment, audio and video systems, computers, which will allow rapid and effective implementation of measures to respond to public health emergencies at territorial and national level, organizing operational meetings online, teleconference, real-time collection and monitoring of epidemiological data.

Chicu pointed out the importance of launching this institution for society and National Agency for Public Health, which has a key role in monitoring the health of citizens.

Peter Michalko, EU Ambassador to Chisinau, said “in these times of crisis, the EU supports Moldova in implementing a system of response and management of emergency response. This support is possible thanks to the EU's Solidarity for Health initiative, through which the EU provides assistance to Eastern Partnership countries in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal is to help save lives and protect people’s health, as well as counteract the consequences of this pandemic”.

Dr Hans H. Kluge, Regional Director of WHO Regional Office for Europe, welcomed the event in Chisinau. "Through the inauguration of the center, Moldova is taking another concrete step in improving coordination efforts and response to the COVID-19 pandemic both nationally and internationally. The Center will provide access to real-time data to monitor epidemics and risk situations, inform decisions, assess public health risks, initiate control measures and argue for the implementation of rapid response interventions," he said.

The inauguration of the Center is part of the response of the European Union and the World Health Organization to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has so far registered over 23 million cases in 216 countries and territories worldwide.