Partnership between ”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and Tekwill

Medicine and information technology are two sectors that can no longer operate in parallel. They must unite to have not only a synergistic outcome, but also an emergence effect. At the moment, new trends in research and innovation show that there is an indissoluble link between them and information technologies. The Tech Giants Apple, Google, Microsoft have established that information technology is the largest market in recent decades, they offer great opportunities for development and, respectively, attract financial resources. This opinion is shared by Veaceslav Cunev, president of the National Association of ICT Companies, who, together with representatives of the Tekwill project in Moldova, visited Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy and signed a Memorandum.

Rector Emil Ceban stressed that the purpose of this document was to establish and develop cooperation between the University and the Association for the implementation of Tekwill programs in our institution and, at the same time, - launch a new strategic direction in Moldova - MedTech, which would enhance the interaction between medical area and information technologies domain. The memorandum will intensify the process of promoting digital technologies in all activity directions of the University.

”The lived experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic has shown us the importance of information technologies in maintaining educational, research or healthcare activities. At the same time, we realize that after the pandemic, when life returns to normal, many of the activities will not be possible without digital technologies. In this context, we believe that the signing of the Memorandum will substantially contribute to the promotion of digital education among members of the university community, as well as to the development of capacities to integrate digital innovations in the process of undergraduate, postgraduate and continuing medical education, in scientific research, in the provision of specialized medical services, and in other forms of university activity. All these outcomes will have a beneficial influence on the training process of future doctors and pharmacists, as well as on the entire health system of the country”, emphasized rector Ceban.

Ana Chirița, director of Tekwill, has stated that by joining efforts of IT and medical areas “we will improve certain processes, accelerate the interventions in order to save people's lives or any other activities to be carried out in different situations. It is a beginning as we will initiate new, innovative projects at national level with the help of information technologies in the Republic of Moldova, and the efforts you make will become even better known. We hope that we can help develop digital skills, meeting all the needs through IT gate”. According to Ana Chirița, Tekwill project is funded by the Swedish Government and the United States Agency for International Development, and its ultimate goal is to grow the IT sector, which could create that environment in which people feel good at home, and without doctors this would be more difficult to achieve.

Stanislav Groppa, vice-rector for research, believes this is an event of excellence for the future of medicine, society and the prosperity of the country. This collaboration is extremely important, because information technologies, biostatistics, and bioinformatics underpin the interdisciplinary training of physicians. ”With rector Emil Ceban at the helm, research processes have been prioritized, the emphasis being laid on active involvement in international projects and programs, raising the level and quality of research, educating the young generation through research processes, etc. The didactic-scientific community of Nicolae Testemitanu University has many ideas and directions for the implementation of new technologies, especially in personalized medicine”, the vice-rector underlined.

”Following this historic moment, we will be able to accomplish a lot, and in a year we will manage to achieve visible progress. IT companies are ready to provide everything you need, we have skills in various fields. Now the representatives of Nicolae Testemitanu University just have to tell us where and what kind of help they need”, said Veaceslav Cunev at the end of the signing ceremony of the Memorandum.