This intention was announced during the workshop "Evaluation of human rights reinforcement in medical institutions in Moldova", organized by the Institution of the Ombudsman within the project "Support to NHRIs (INPPDO)" as recommended by the UN Conventions Committees and the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), funded by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Norway, co-financed and implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Moldova and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

The workshop was attended by representatives of the Ministry of Health, NCHM, CNAM, National Council for Evaluation and Accreditation of Hospitals, Country-Office of the WHO, UNFPA, the Project GIZ and the Centre for Policies and Analysis in the Health sector, UNDP and OHCHR, the Office of the Ombudsman, a total of 26 persons.

Attending the event, the Ombudsman, MihailCotorobai, said that the workshop is a first action of the complex of activities to be organized by the Ombudsman's Institution in order to improve the situation regarding respect for the right to health in Moldova. These activities will have a different character: monitoring, analysis of the legislation in order to improve it, training actions for patients and health professionals, and raising public awareness on the situation in the field.

The Ombudsman underlined that today's meeting aims to establish contacts with key actors in the healthcare system, announcing the intention to address issues of health protection and inviting to dialogue and cooperation, with the shared objective of ensuring access to quality, full volume health care. MihailCotorobai also stressed the importance of addressing not only the issue of respect for patient rights, but that of health care workers too.

The Head of the Hospital Care Division of the Ministry of Health, RodicaScutelnic talked about actions taken by the Ministry of Health in order to strengthen the quality of medical services, which constitute a strategic direction of the relevant public authority.

In its communication, the Head of Petitions and Audience Division, Ada Simon, was referred to the cases examined by the Ombudsman's Institution of human rights violations in health care services provided in Moldova.The official of the institution revealed that only last year the Office of the Ombudsman received 37 people with complaints, petitions referring in particular to frequent violation of the following fundamental rights of patients: limited access to medical services due to the irresponsible attitude of the employees in the health sector; shortage of competent health personnel, particularly in rural areas; reduced access to emergency services in rural areas. Some of the petitioners referred to poor medical services, providing insufficient quality and safety of healthcare services; unsatisfactory infrastructure and sanitary-hygienic status of medical institutions; insufficient technical equipment.

Ada Simon mentioned a number of recommendations of the Ombudsman Institution made the relevant authorities to address the situation.

Patient safety and quality of services provided in medical institutions in Moldova - was the theme of communication of the WHO Country Office representative, Andrei Matei, which made public the conclusions and recommendations of the World Health Organization made a study of this subject.

GIZ Project Coordinator, Cornel Rîşcanu talked about the pilot project implemented by GIZ in three district hospitals of the country to improve the quality of medical services in Moldova.

Data access and quality of hospital services in the population of Moldova were presented by the Center for Health Policies and Studies, GhenadieŢurcanu.

The Head of the Department of Health Services Management, NCHM Angela Anisei, referred to tools to promote quality management in medical institutions and; deputy medical director International Hospital Medpark, Corina Vicol, talked about organizational issues in the process of ensuring the safety of the patient in the hospital.

The Head of the National Council for Evaluation and Accreditation of Hospitals, Maria Cumpănă appreciated the importance of the topic addressed by the Office of the Ombudsman and the fact that the Ombudsman institution is concerned about the rights of patients as well as medical staff. She shared the view of many speakers on the need to seek new standards in the evaluation and accreditation of medical institutions, noting, however, that this must be preceded by training of medical practitioners regarding all necessary procedures and patients' rights.

The speakers welcomed the initiative of the Office of the Ombudsman to cooperate with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders in the healthcare system to improve quality of care by monitoring the state of affairs in this respect, and ensure respect for patients' rights. It was noted that the Ombudsman institution has taken a constructive and open to dialogue.

National Consultant on the right to health of OHCHR in Moldova, RodicaGrama, the moderator of the workshop, announced that today's meeting will be followed by other workshops, by continuing dialogue on the topic, in order to identify viable solutions for improving the quality and accessibility of health care services delivered.