Republic of Moldova
At 87%, Moldova has very high levels of access to basic hand hygiene (HH) services. However, Moldova’s relatively modest score of 1.23 and 1.21 on the HHAFT Tracker and Assessment’s 4-point scale, respectively, indicate there may be areas to focus on to secure this strong progress. HH is integrated into the government’s nine-year National Program for the implementation of the Protocol on Water and Health (2016-2025), and is a key component of the 2020 National Action Plan for the Response and Prevention of COVID-19 Infection. The new National Program, which will be created for 2025-2030, will provide an opportunity to comprehensively target universal access to HH, by codifying and prioritizing HH action plan and enabling environment interventions to accelerate progress.
Tracker
| Milestone | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Prepare for Action | 1.80 |
| Analyse the Situation / Assess the Need | 2.05 |
| Prioritise Actions | 1.00 |
| Execute Plans | 1.33 |
| Monitor, Evaluate and Course Correct | 1.00 |
| Average | 1.43 |
A key theme throughout all milestones (except for “Analyse the Situation”) was the need to define roles and responsibilities as well as to build out and approve action plans and frameworks. Once complete, Moldova will be in a stronger position to prevent backsliding. Moldova’s situational analysis predominantly focuses on its two target settings – educational settings and healthcare facilities – and is reflected in national indicators and targets for HH.
Assessment
| Parameter | 2023 |
|---|---|
| Governance | 1.80 |
| Financing | 1.33 |
| Data and Information | 1.00 |
| Capacity Development | 1.00 |
| Innovation | 1.00 |
| Average | 1.23 |
The Ministry of Health will serve as the ministry for HH in collaboration with the National Agency for Public Health. A multi-sectoral coordinating mechanism has been established but is not convening regularly. National standards and targets focus on priority settings (e.g., schools and health care facilities), and address a subset of vulnerable groups. Moldova’s roadmap’s budget addresses specific areas, but the financing strategy is not in place. Moldova will align the M&E framework with what currently exists but will need to expand accessibility. Additionally, Moldova identified a need to incorporate HH across all settings and comprehensively integrate JMP definitions and standards.
