Moldova

The Republic of Moldova, a landlocked country in Eastern Europe located between Romania and Ukraine, has made significant progress toward economic stabilization since gaining its independence in 1991. Yet, it still remains the poorest country in Europe and ranks low in terms of commonly-used living standards. Approximately 55% of the population lives on income below the poverty line, two-thirds of whom reside in the rural areas with limited access to health services. Since pharmacies were allowed to privatize in 1993, most are concentrated in towns, leaving a number of rural settlements with no access to a pharmacy at all. Consequently, there is a strong need for a system of good drug information to maximize the reach of the government's centralized health system.

Modeled after the Russian Centers, a Drug Information Center (DIC) was established in Chisinau, Moldova, during USP RPM activities in 1999. The DIC—DRUGS—closely cooperates with the Russian DICs and offers many of the same programs, answering drug information requests from health professionals, pharmacists, and patients and disseminating periodic drug bulletins related to rational drug therapy and other health topics. In addition, the Moldova DIC works particularly on activities teaching children the proper use of medicines.

Moldova established a second DIC in the National Pharmacy Institute (NPI) which focuses primarily on regulatory issues and the process of drug registration. With assistance from the Uppsala Monitoring Center, they publish a bulletin on adverse drug reactions and participate in the WHO Drug Monitoring Program for International Drug Monitoring. This DIC supplies drug information and responds to requests from healthcare professionals and patients via an information hotline, working in close cooperation with the Cluj DIC in Romania. NPI also publishes a regular bulletin for physicians and healthcare workers on new drugs/therapies, newly discovered side effects of drugs, and other issues related to rational drug use.

The two DICs will work together to address issues of rational drug use in Moldova, giving special attention to problems of TB treatment and management. DRUGS works mostly with Russian-speaking customers, whereas the DIC at the National Pharmacy Institute concentrates on the Romanian-speaking healthcare professionals and population.

Contact Information:

Association "DRUGS"
Grenoble Street 149
Moldova, 2019
Tel: (3732) 73-83-48
Fax: (3732) 73-83-30
Email:
www.ournet.md/~drugs/english.htm

National Institute of Pharmacy
Drug Information Center
2/1 Korolenko Street
MD-2028, Moldova, Kishinev
Tel/Fax: (37322) 72-71-74
Email: