Prime Minister Iurie Leanca and his Romanian counterpart Victor Ponta today attended a ceremony of donation of five special vehicles to SMURD (Emergency Rescue Service) Moldova Service.

It is a donation from the Romanian government for the Balti-based SMURD.

The special vehicles are unique in equipping emergency services in Moldova and will be operated by the paramedics from the rescue and fire units jointly with doctors and nurses within the Health Ministry.

“This equipment will be a basis for the experimental module. We are proud very much of SMURD from Romania, which saves human lives every day, we want to be so in Moldova too. We hope that our experience will help Moldova”, Ponta said.

“It is a generous donation from the Romanian friends. It is about special vehicles of the most modern and it is absolutely imperative to have such centres. It is a pilot project and I am confident that we will extend it”, Leanca pointed out.

The first SMURD centre will be opened in Balti. It will offer emergency services within the cross border operations, with the support of Romania. In this context, in July, the government endorsed a draft approving the signing of protocol on amending the agreement between the Moldovan and Romanian health ministries, signed on 3 December 2010. Thus, Romania will provide support for development of medical and paramedical component of the emergency service from Moldova, capacity building of training staff in the field and providing logistics necessary to carry out emergency care interventions.