UNFPA, Chisinau, 23 April 2010

According to experts, to bring results, the Strategy should be accompanied by a demographic policy with concrete measures that will have financial coverage. As for the demography expert, Constantin Matei, a priority measure would be a decrease of mortality among working age people. Last year, more than one third of deceased people were economically active with this indicator being higher among men. "The cause is primarily the exacerbation of cardio-vascular diseases and limited access to medical services. Today, there are three to four villages that are served by one physician, and in villages with 4000 to 6000 inhabitants, there is only one nurse. A solution would be to improve medical infrastructure and prioritized directioning of resources in this field", said Matei.

Valeriu Sainsus, lecturer at ASEM, Moldova Academy of Economic Studies, said the document should be restructured in accordance with actual needs and possibilities of the state and population. For intance, the state wants a family to have two children while parents cannot afford to raise them. Today in Moldova, a woman of childbearing age gives birth to one child, on average. Therefore, the Strategy should reflect these needs of the state, and to provide concrete mechanisms to create conditions for their satisfaction as well.

Also, Mr. Sainsus mentioned the importance to adjust the Strategy to the country's intentions to join the European Union as the document will provide a range of demographic reforms, including connection of the pention system to the European one. "Taking into account rapid aging of the Moldovan population, an action to increase retirement census is nedeed. The first step would be equalization of the retirement age for both men and women, preceded by an extansive public information camapign".

Mr. Francois Farah, UNFPA Country Director for the Republic of Moldova, present at the conference, said the demographic problem is complex and the measures taken do not provide immediate solutions. „UNFPA's mandate in Moldova is to assist the Government and partners in this process and to facilitate the demographic transistion".

We are mentioning that the draft of Demographic Security Strategy of the Republic of Moldova is to be approved by the end of this year. Moldova needs such a document in the conditions when it loses circa 8,000 people annually because of the negative natural growth and migration. Population is aging, and if no urgent measures will be taken, it will be numbered with one million less people by 2050 and with every third person reaching retirement age.