Healthcare funding in Moldova triples in five years

Obligatory health insurance which was introduced in Moldova in 2003 has helped to improve the financing of healthcare. Gheorghe Russu, director general of the national health insurance company (CNAM), said the healthcare budget grew from Lei940 million ($99 million) in 2004 to an estimated Lei2.6 billion this year, and it was expected to grow by a further 30% to Lei3.5 billion in 2009. The national health insurance system is one of the best in ex-Soviet republics, he added.