Save the Children Romania has donated 100,000 euros worth of equipment to a needy hospital in neighboring Moldova that treats thousands of children every year, many of them complex cases.
It equipped the Endoscopy Department with a pediatric videocolonoscopy system, to replace an irreparable device, that was 25 years past its service life.
After the Endoscopy Department of the Institute of Mother and Child was left without a videocolonoscope, it asked Save the Children, Romania to help it.
The equipment provides medical assistance to different categories of pediatric patients. In 2025, 3,352 investigations were performed in the endoscopy department.
The system consists of a pediatric video colonoscope, video processor with integrated light source, endoscopic winch with isolation transformer and monitor support, 4K resolution medical monitor, hermeticity tester, endoscopic irrigation pump with water heating function and endoscopy aspirator.
It is essential for diagnosing and monitoring digestive disorders in children and the new equipment will contribute significantly to better medical care by providing a high-resolution image, which gives medics the possibility of early identification of pathological changes in the intestinal mucosa as well as the performance of minimally invasive endoscopic interventions in a shorter time and in increased safety.
This allows early diagnosis of inflammatory bowel diseases, polyps, sources of digestive bleeding and other digestive pathologies, increasing the effectiveness of treatment and reducing the risk of complications.
The IMSP Mother and Child Center Chisinau is the the main pediatric tertiary center in the country of 2.1 million where the most complex cases in the entire country are directed.
At national level, the availability of a modern pediatric video colonoscope allows children access to minimally invasive and safe investigations and reduces the need to transfer patients abroad for a variety of digestive pathologies including:
- inflammatory bowel diseases (Crohn’s disease, ulcerative colitis);
- intestinal polyps;
- lower digestive hemorrhages;
- chronic abdominal pain of unclear cause;
- chronic diarrhea;
- severe constipation and its complications;
- intestinal malformations;
- suspicions of tumors or intestinal lesions;
- monitoring patients after surgical treatments or long-term therapies.
Gabriela Alexandrescu, Executive President of Save the Children Romania, spoke about the importance of equipping pediatric hospitals with state-of-the-art medical equipment:
“A diagnosis as quickly as possible, made with the help of high-performance medical equipment, reduces the child’s suffering and helps doctors to intervene as promptly as possible. Save the Children Romania works with doctors and makes joint efforts to identify priorities and the most urgent needs.”
Access to modern medical technology gives doctors the possibility:
- to carry out more accurate and reliable investigations;
- to reduce patient discomfort;
- to apply modern standards of diagnosis and treatment;
- to develop advanced professional skills;
- to provide medical services comparable to those in high-performance European centers.
For pediatric specialists, such equipment is an essential support in the management of complex cases and in increasing the quality of the medical act.
“We thank Save the Children Romania for the constant support and for the trusted partnership offered to the Mother and Child Institute. Thanks to investments in modern medical equipment, we can provide better care to premature babies and patients with complicated medical cases. This aid allows us to save lives, increase the quality of medical services and offer more hope to children and their families,” said Dr. Sergiu Gladun, Director of the Institute of Mother and Child Chisinau.
The Medical-Sanitary Institution Institute of Mother and Child specializes in providing medical assistance for the most serious and complex cases of treatment of pregnant women, infants and children. Annually, it provides diagnosis, treatment, prophylaxis and medical rehabilitation of about 35,697 children, 5,586 pregnant women and 4,353 women from all over the country and registers about 4,235 births per year, of which around 465 are premature births.
In 2025, 45 children were born weighing up to 990 grams and 67 children weighed between 1,000-1,499 grams. Also, approximately 156,824 consultations are carried out annually within the Department of Specialized Outpatient Medical Assistance (Polyclinic).
Save the Children Intervention in the Republic of Moldova
The intervention of the Save the Children Organization in the Republic of Moldova to support children, pregnant women, mothers and refugees from Ukraine represents an investment of approximately 2,067,500 euros. From 2021 to date, more than 43,600 children, pregnant women and mothers have benefited from health, education and social support services.
Photos courtesy of Save the Children, Romania.
