A day in the life of a rural family doctor in Moldova

25 August 2019

Elena Neaga is a family doctor in a rural area of the Republic of Moldova. Here, she shares the events of her day and her experience in providing health services to the community.

According to data from the Ministry of Health, Labour and Social Protection of the Republic of Moldova, the country has 1622 general practitioners working in 1681 localities. However, a quarter of villages do not have a resident family doctor.

The WHO Country Office in the Republic of Moldova has supported the national health authorities in developing a new vision for multidisciplinary primary health care in the country. To advance universal health coverage, WHO is also helping to strengthen the country’s capacity in designing, evaluating and implementing attraction, recruitment and retention policies for the health workforce. This includes supporting efforts to attract and retain health workers in rural locations, in line with WHO’s evidence-based recommendations on recruiting and retaining health workers in underserved areas.

“Motivation and job satisfaction are key to health worker attraction and retention, as Elena’s personal story clearly shows,” notes Gabrielle Jacob, who leads the work on human resources for health at WHO/Europe. “Motivation is influenced by a complex range of social, professional and economic factors, and we need to pay attention to all of these if we are to design and implement effective attraction, recruitment and retention strategies in support of universal health coverage.”

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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Thirty-year-old Elena Neaga always wanted to be a doctor. It was during her residency that she decided to move to the countryside, and she now provides health services to 2500 patients in the villages of Balasesti and Sloveanca in the Sîngerei District in the northern part of the Republic of Moldova. The biggest challenge Elena faced was convincing people to take care of their health and to visit her at the first sign of symptoms. “Things have improved now, especially since I started a school for patients with hypertension and risk of diabetes and tuberculosis,” she says.

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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Elena enjoys starting her mornings in her flower garden, hoe in hand. The smell of chamomile and roses envelops the yard of the farm where she lives now.

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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She then feeds the geese and ducks that will shortly be sold in the regional markets – an additional income source for the Neaga family. Gabriel and Daniel, 2 of her 4 children, help her before heading to kindergarten.

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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Elena is greeted by several patients waiting for her at the medical centre. “I have been working here since November 2014 and have never regretted coming to work in the countryside. I have always wanted to do meaningful work and help other people. Although I have never given much thought to the financial side, low wages are a problem. A doctor’s wages should match their efforts,” she says.

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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Her first patient is a 7-year-old child. His mother, Ecaterina Chira, only has words of praise for the doctor. “We are very happy and grateful for having a doctor in the village. Some years ago, when the health of one of my children deteriorated, I called Madam Doctor, who acted swiftly and helped him get the care he needed,” she recalls.

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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Ecaterina Locoman, who is expecting her first child, says the doctor helps her have more confidence in managing her pregnancy symptoms. “We also talk on the phone when I need it. She is very responsive. I feel that my baby girl is safe with such a doctor beside us,” she says.

WHO/Igor Vrabie

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“I examine my patients carefully, and don’t just offer them quick consultations,” says Elena, who sees around 40 patients daily. She admits she could use a helping hand; however, health-care professionals are not always willing to work in rural areas.

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