Extended Migration Profile - Republic of Moldova

By Ghenadie Cretu, IOM

The Extended Migration Profile (EMP) of the Republic of Moldova is the result of intense work of a team of independent experts, Moldovan Government officials as well as IOM experts, both in Chisinau and Vienna, as well as the International Labour Organization.  European Union institutions provided financial and moral support.  The present EMP Report is a country-owned tool to be used to enhance policy coherence, evidence-based policy-making and the mainstreaming of migration into development planning.

This analytical report is part of a complex exercise that will help to improve the data collection and sharing, promote greater coherence and a more comprehensive and coordinated approach to policy development related to migration.

The work will continue with regular independent production of the Report by the Government of Moldova, specifically under the coordination of the Bureau for Migration and Asylum of the Ministry of Interior, jointly with the Technical Working Group members. IOM, together with the UNCT partners will provide all the support needed to build further the capacity of the national institutions for an efficient migration data collection, exchange and analysis for better strategic development policy making.

You can read or download the report by clicking here.

Training on Human Resource for Health for High Level Representatives from the Republic of Moldova

From left to right: Dr Romancenco, Dr Lozan and Dr Jelamschi

A delegation from the Republic of Moldova participated in the training on Human Resources for Health (HRH) organized by the Royal Tropical Institute (KIT) in Amsterdam during 25 Feb – 8 Mar 2013. Members of the delegation included the Director of Human Resources for Health department at the Ministry of Health, the Director of the National School of Public Health, the Deputy Director of the National Center of Health Management (and Director of the SEE Observatory on HRH); and the legal officer of the “Better managing the migration and mobility of health professionals in the Republic of Moldova” project.

As part of the training program, and in close collaboration with experts from KIT, the delegation from the Republic of Moldova developed the methodology for conducting a Training Needs Assessment (TNA) for Human Resources Managers of the health sector. The group is currently following up with developing a list of HRH managers’ responsibilities that is crucial for conducting the TNA.

KIT is a WHO collaborating center on HRH. More information on the KIT training course on HRH can be found here.

The activity was organized and supported by WHO as part of the “Better managing the migration and mobility of health professionals in the Republic of Moldova” funded by the EU and implemented by the WHO Country Office in the Republic of Moldova, with support and coordination from the WHO Regional Office for Europe.

Prof van den Broek and Prof Dieleman

The EU Joint Action of Health Workforce to Accept the Republic of Moldova as a Collaborative Partner

Negotiations are under way for the Republic of Moldova to become a collaborative partner to the EU Joint Action on Health Workforce. The Republic of Moldova will be represented by the National Center of  Health Management (hosting the SEE sub-regional Observatory on HRH).



JA-HWF Description*:According to an estimate, Europe expects a shortage of 1.000.000 health workers by 2020.  Demand, need and supply of the health workforce (HWF) are influenced by multiple factors like ageing population, ageing workforce, rising care use and rising costs in a context of budget constraints. The time lag between decisions and change can belong. New skills may need new schools, trainers, curricula. The HWF is more mobile and this challenges the self-sufficiency of countries. Hence HWF planning is crucial.There is a great variety in HWF planning methods across MSs. There is no golden standard. Sharing and exchanging practices will support MSs capacity.

The general objective of this action is a platform for collaboration and exchange between MSs to prepare the future of the HWF. This will support MSs and Europe in their capacity to take effective and sustainable measures.

Associated partners representing 18 countries: Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Spain, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Malta, Netherlands, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and the United Kingdom.
There are collaborative partners representing 9 countries: Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark, Ireland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Serbia and Sweden.
Umbrella organizations of health professions and structures are partner.

Methods and means: The Joint Action (JA) will pilot a platform of collaboration and partnership. The governance structure, procedures of communication, collaboration and decision making, the outputs and outcomes of the JA represent this pilot.

* Source: http://euhwforce.eu/ accessed on 20 March 2012.

TAIEX to support SEE HRH Observatory workshop in Chisinau

The TAIEX office of the European Commission has approved the application submitted by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Moldova for organizing a workshop in Chisinau, 18-19 June 2013, during the SEE Health Network Presidency of the Republic of Moldova (Jan-June 2013). The application was prepared by the SEE Observatory for HRH with support from WHO/Europe. Participants will come from SEEHN and European Union member states and International Health Agencies.

The workshop "Harmonization and mutual recognition of health professionals' qualifications in Europe - lessons from the EU, implications and policy options for the South- Eastern Europe Health Network countries (SEEHN)" will:

1. increase awareness among SEEHN member states on the EU experience with the Directive 2005/36/EC, lessons learned and policy options for mutual recognition of health professional qualifications in line with EU Laws and Standards, 
2. discuss the role of competent authorities and professional organizations in the implementation of the EU health professionals' card and implications for the SEEHN member states 
3. identify common challenges and actions for mutual recognition of qualifications in the SEEHN member states and harmonizing with EU requirements. 

Background Information

Pursuant the European Commission's communication on "Internal Market Strategy for Services" and "New European Markets, Open to All, with Access to All", the European Parliament and the Council adopted Directive 2005/36/EC on the recognition of professional qualifications.

Directive 2005/36/EC governs the recognition of professional qualifications in EU member states. For selected professions with implications for public health safety and consumer protection, additional provisions are made. The regulated professions include doctors, nurses, midwives, dentists etc. This Directive does not create an obstacle to the possibility of Member States recognizing the professional qualifications acquired outside the territory of the EU by third country nationals. All recognitions should respect minimum training conditions for the regulated professions.

The Directive 2005/36/EC also mentions the need for a European card for the mobility of professionals in Europe "…professional cards by professional associations or organisations could facilitate the mobility of professionals, in particular by speeding up the exchange of information between the host Member State and the Member State of origin. This professional card should make it possible to monitor the career of professionals who establish themselves in various Member States…". The EU professional card would be implemented in cooperation with the Internal Market Information System.

Professional mobility is important to achieve competitiveness for the single market. The mobility is affected by the recognition of professional qualifications, which in turn is influenced by the joint training requirements. In order to simplify the procedures for recognition of professional qualifications while maintaining the level of safety for the public health, the EU is encouraging the coordination of efforts between competent authorities, professional associations and education establishment (in harmony with the Bologna process on admission criteria and definitions for the content of the training) to improve the current directive during the EU Presidency of Ireland.

The improvements proposed to the Directive cover the common training frameworks; mechanisms for checking the quality of the training; language checks etc to ensure the safety of the public and of the consumers.

Recognition of health professionals' qualifications is an important issue for the Republic of Moldova, but not only.

All the member states of the South-eastern Europe Health Network (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Israel, Montenegro, Republic of Moldova, Romania, Serbia, and The former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia) share the same challenges in mutual recognition of health professionals qualifications and health professionals continued professional development.

The Republic of Moldova, in the role of the SEE Health Network Presidency (Jan-Jun 2013) is leading the efforts of the SEEHN member states on human resources for health.

Three countries (Bulgaria, Croatia and Romania) have already adopted the Directive 2005/36/EC.

The other countries are in different stages of EU integration and are working hard to align their laws and regulations with EU Laws and Standards. The possibility of developing an action at the level of the SEEHN will be examined and proposal made as appropriate to the SEEHN.

The proposed workshop is in line with the provisions of the section on "Cooperation and Education, Training, Multilingualism, Youth and Sport" of the draft EU-Republic of Moldova Association Agreement.

This event will support Moldova's effort towards market access liberalization and regulatory approximation; comprehensive implementation of core EU Laws and Standards in the field of public health policy and consumer protection.     

A close collaboration will be established with the WHO Regional Office for Europe, with extensive competency in the HRH area, during the organization of this work.