The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) in Moldova provided a batch of medical equipment for personal protection of specialists from the Network of Youth Friendly Health Centers "Youth Klinic". The assistance includes 26,000 pairs of gloves, 1,300 protective screens, 5,500 gowns, 150,583 masks and 23,500 caps, and it is the largest batch of protective equipment offered to date to the “Youth Klinic” Network in the context COVID-19 epidemiological situation.
Marina Golovaci, Secretary of State at the Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection, thanked the partners for the support:
"The COVID-19 pandemic put us all to the test, but we became more united. The UN family, through the UNFPA representatives in Moldova, supported us throughout this difficult period, being actively involved in various training activities for medical and teaching staff, the production of information materials for the population and medical staff, but also the provision of humanitarian assistance, such as medical equipment, disinfectants and personal care products. The donation offered today to the “Youth Klinic” network is valuable because, despite the difficult conditions, the Youth Friendly Health Centers did not interrupt their activity, providing extremely necessary psychological, social counselling services, medical assistance for the young generation. Thank you for this important donation and all the support provided during the pandemic. "
The 41 Youth Friendly Health Centers are institutions within the public health system, part of primary health care, which operate in all districts of the country and municipalities, offering a wide range of confidential and necessary services to young people.
According to Nigina Abaszada, UNFPA Resident Representative in Moldova, during the pandemic young people and adolescents face increased levels of stress and anxiety, adolescent girls may be subjected to violence, including sexual violence, and young people affected by HIV or those with disabilities have special needs.
“This is why youth-friendly health services, including mental health information and counselling, violence prevention, family planning and contraception, can be life-saving for young people and must remain accessible at all times, especially during public health emergencies ", said Nigina Abaszada.
According to Galina Leșco, Head of the Resource Center for Youth Friendly Health Services (CRSSPT) “Neovita”, the “Youth Klinic” Network currently has over 200 employees, including obstetricians-gynaecologists, urologists-andrologists, psychologists and nurses, and other specialists. Despite the crisis caused by Covid-19, all 41 Centers operate in each district and offer a complex package of services, including family planning, psychological assistance, social assistance, volunteering. In the first six months of 2020 alone, more than 30,000 consultations were offered to 18,500 adolescents and young people across the country.
"We thank UNFPA for delivering this batch of protective equipment, which is extremely necessary for the context of the current crisis, which will help us continue to provide these services safely for young people and staff," said Galina Leșco.
The USD 40,000 batch of medical equipment for the personal protection of specialists in the “Youth Klinic” network was purchased through the AO “Health for Youth” from the resources provided by UNFPA and is part of the response of the UN Population Fund, member of the UN Moldova team, at the COVID-19 pandemic.
