Government approves "Moldova Project" for a single implementation center in Chisinau and hospitals in Balti and Cahul
The government approved the creation of the Office for the Implementation of Strategic National Infrastructure Projects, consolidating two implementation units responsible for constructing the penitentiary in Chisinau and the regional hospitals in Balti and Cahul. The new entity will gradually integrate other implementation units to become the only specialised structure in the field.
The General Secretary of the Government, Alexei Buzu, emphasized that, within the Growth Plan - supported by the European Union with 1.8 billion euros - the Republic of Moldova obtained the opportunity to finance an important portfolio of strategic projects. However, because responsibilities are spread across several implementation units, the process cannot be managed efficiently, and the risk of delays increases.
"In the Republic of Moldova we have several project implementation units, with different teams, different procedures. We propose starting a process to streamline and consolidate these implementation units. And today we propose to start with two - one that is responsible for the construction of that penitentiary in Chisinau, which has been delayed for years, and an implementation unit responsible for the construction of the two regional hospitals in Balti and Cahul", Buzu said in the Government meeting on September 30.
The new structure is to concentrate the necessary expertise for the preparation and realization of large investments, ensuring a unitary approach, from the planning stage to the realization of the investment.
"We are in the process of analyzing the next wave of consolidations, so other implementation units will be merged within this office, to ensure that in one team, in one institution we have specialists, necessary capacities, clearer procedures for planning, construction, execution of complex works and, very importantly, monitoring of this progress", said the head of the State Chancellery.
Prime Minister Vasile Tofan said that establishing this consolidated structure is a successful practice recommended by "our friends from Brussels" and that some states have been able to significantly accelerate project implementation by creating such an entity.
*"Montenegro, for example, did it and had a much faster implementation speed, so that we don't have to wait 10 years to build a penitentiary or a hospital. And secondly, very important, to avoid speculation: we are trying to consolidate the implementation units already existing in the ministries into a centralized one. This does not necessarily mean excess costs. On the contrary, we could save costs by having one unit instead of 12", said the Prime Minister.
Through this reorganization, the Government aims to accelerate the absorption of available funds, so that the funding is more quickly transformed into "hospitals, developed infrastructure and other important investments for people", according to a press release of the institution.
Previously, Prime Minister Vasile Tofan announced that the new structure, which he called generically the "Moldova Project", will start with 26 employees and will not involve increasing the staff of the central public administration. To manage the new structure, the Government intends to propose Mircea Eșanu, the current director of the Public Services Agency.
