United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) will provide vital drugs and medical products to patients in Moldova this year, according to an agreement signed by the Health Ministry and UNDP on 30 January, informs Moldpres.

Under the document, UNDP will purchase medicines within more national and special health programmes, including the National Programme for Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS.

“Through this agreement we want to optimize and make more transparent acquisitions of medicines via international mechanisms, to achieve reasonable prices and ensure conducting a quality treatment”, Health Minister Ruxanda Glavan said.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Moldova Dafina Gercheva said “under this action, the most vulnerable people will have immediate access to quality medicines, at a reasonable price”.

All purchases will be made in accordance with UNDP standards, subsequently regular financial reports will be provided to the Health Ministry. Also, tenders, auction results, progress of procurement and expense reports will be available on UNDP Moldova website. At the same time, UNDP Moldova will back the modernisation of storage conditions of medicines.

The Moldovan government had earlier asked UNDP for supplying procurement services in health and developing capacities of national systems and procurement reform.