Trade unions are calling on the Government to adopt urgent protection measures for healthcare professionals

The National Trade Union Confederation of Moldova (CNSM) and the Trade Union Federation “SĂNĂTATEA” express their concern about the insufficient provision of protective equipment for healthcare personnel in the healthcare system of the Republic of Moldova, especially for those who are directly involved in the treatment of infected patients with the COVID-19 virus. This is shown in an appeal (attached) addressed on Wednesday, March 25, to the Prime Minister of the Republic of Moldova, Ion Chicu, and to the Minister of Health, Labor and Social Protection, Viorica Dumbraveanu.

The Labor Inspectorate of Trade Unions within the CNSM has received in these days multiple addresses from the medical personnel in the medical institutions from urban and rural localities, which warns the lack of equipping the medical personnel with the necessary protective equipment. The lack of adequate equipment increases the likelihood of infection of the medical personnel with this virus and it poses an increased risk to the capacity of the medical institutions to manage this crisis properly”, shows the appeal.

At the same time, the trade unionists refer to the recommendation of the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control according to which the medical personnel coming into contact with infected patients should take precautions at the highest level. This recommendation involves the provision of protective equipment for medical personnel, in order to ensure their health, but also to avoid the infecting of the entire work team, which may cease the activity or reduce the number of medical workers available to patients.

“All precautionary measures need to be taken to avoid, for example, the situation of the County Hospital in Suceava, Romania, which had to be temporarily closed, when the number of employees infected with COVID-19 exceeded 90 persons.

In this case, the hospital management was accused of not taking sufficient measures to protect doctors and prevent their infection. Moreover, sufficient protective equipment has not been made available to doctors, nor has the proper training of staff been provided”, accentuated the trade unionists.

In the context of the pandemics, CNSM and the Trade Union Federation “SĂNĂTATEA” asks the Government of the Republic of Moldova to include a series of protection measures for healthcare professionals:
1. Urgent insurance of medical and non-medical personnel from Public Medical-Sanitary Institutions (IMSP) with equipment and means of individual and collective protection, according to the epidemiological requirements;
2. Urgent preparation of all IMSPs for activity under the conditions of the COVID-19 pandemic;
3. Intensifying the training of the workers from the medical-sanitary, pharmaceutical and student institutions, the active propagation of the prophylaxis measures of COVID-19 among the population, using all mass communication institutions, regardless of their forms of ownership;
4. Providing accommodation of isolation and quarantine for medical staff who have been in contact and are trained in the treatment of patients with COVID-19;
5. Priority testing of medical personnel in areas of high risk of infection;
6. Urgent increase in the salary of health workers, according to the value of their work for the society;
7. Monitoring the strict compliance of procedures in all hospitals in the country.

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Department of mass-media and international relations of CNSM