Students of ”Nicolae Testemitanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy – volunteers in the fight with the new type of coronavirus

Shortly after the state of emergency was declared on the territory of the Republic of Moldova, the students of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy have been trained in volunteering activities in the fight with the new type of coronavirus. The volunteering activity is coordinated with the Association of Students and Residents in Medicine (ASRM), which launched this call in an open and transparent way on their Facebook page. So far, 96 students have registered as volunteers, who are ready to provide medical assistance where there is a pressing need. Volunteers act at the request of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection and the National Agency for Public Health. 

Currently, a group of 7 students offer support to the medical staff from Municipal Clinical Hospital of Contagious Diseases for Children in Chisinau, years IV-VI work as medical assistants, years I-III - as nurses.

For a period of 4 days, 50 student volunteers of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy assembled 3350 of visors (face protection screens), which were delivered by the organizers of the project www.viziere.md to the medical staff of the medical institutions in our country, who are on the frontline in the fight with COVID-19. At the same time, 17 student volunteers are working 24/24 as operators at the Green Line, launched by the National Agency for Public Health.

According to an official request of the director of the COVID-19 Center in Chisinau, Oleg Crudu, the University has delegated 5 resident doctors from Laboratory Medicine specialty in order to work in the laboratory of the above mentioned institution. Another 11 students of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy will work as operators at the Registrar’s Office of the COVID-19 Center in Chisinau, after they will be trained and provided with appropriate protective equipment, without coming into contact with any suspects with the new type of coronavirus.

At the same time, it is expected that other 318 students from the third year of studies, Medicine specialty, will work at the Green Line in all the regions of the republic. After they have been trained properly, they will assist at home the people who will call the Green Line. This activity will be realized through a public-private partnership, the expenses for two months of mobile telephony being supported by Orange Moldova Company.     

Regarding some information disseminated by a news portal, such as students and resident doctors would be obliged to volunteer at the COVID-19 Center in Chisinau, the rector Emil Ceban said:

„At the moment, the students of Nicolae Testemitanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy cannot be obliged or forced under any circumstances to volunteer or to provide medical services in areas with risk exposure for their own health, without being equipped according to the norms of security of life. The volunteering activity is voluntary and it is based on the individual responsibility of each one. I emphasize that in addition to volunteering, currently, 103 students are employees of the medical institutions in country as nurses, 4 of whom work at Emergency Medical Assistance Service. At the same time, 205 resident doctors who work at the medical institutions, according to the distribution Order of the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection, have been trained and are trained directly in medical care of the suspects and patients confirmed with  COVID-19. The University continues to provide them with a place to live in university dormitories”.