• Grigore Zapuhlîh, Gail Rosseau, Nathan A Shlobin, Marcel Ivanov, Valeriu Matcovschi, Vladimir Dolghi, Radu Safta, Aurel Bodiu, Valeriu Vicol, Victor Andronachi, Anatol Litovcenco, Angela Leanca, Adrian Danu, Iulian Glavan, Vioral Gaina, Dan Lisii, Viorel Guranda, Vasile Postolati, Augustin Zapuhlîh, Nicu Ribac, Elena Costru-Tasnic, and Oxana Grosu.
• Department of Neurosurgery, State Medical and Pharmaceutical University "Nicolae Testemitanu", Chișinău, Republic of Moldova.
• World Neurosurg. 2024 Oct 28; 193: 263426-34.

BackgroundFive billion people worldwide lack access to safe, timely, and affordable surgical and anesthesia care. This deficit is greatest in low- and middle-income countries, especially for specialty surgical services including neurosurgery, due to insufficient personnel, resources, and infrastructure. The southeastern European nation of the Republic of Moldova is one such middle-income country.MethodsDiscussions with key individuals involved in neurosurgical care in Moldova were conducted to characterize the history and current state of neurosurgery in Moldova. Via a process of chain referral sampling, all practicing neurosurgeons in Moldova were invited to participate in the execution and authorship of this project.ResultsDeveloping from origins in the Soviet Union, neurosurgery became part of the national health system in the 1940s, with the creation of the first neurosurgery department in 1999. Eleven hospitals, including eight public and 3 private, offer neurosurgical services, with 239 beds and 5330 cases performed in 2023. Most attending neurosurgeons and residents are male, but this is changing as women comprise over one-third of residents in training. There is one neurosurgery residency program and a 2-year fellowship in endovascular neurosurgery in Moldova, with further fellowship training received outside of the country. Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging are available at most centers.ConclusionsThis article provides the first-ever description of the history and current state of neurosurgery in Moldova and presents key recommendations to guide the international neurosurgery community in developing neurosurgical care in countries with an unmet need.Copyright © 2024 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

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