The financing agreement on the implementation of the "Emergency Response Project to COVID-19" was signed by the Ministry of Finance on behalf of the Republic of Moldova with the International Development Association, part of the World Bank.

The project objectives are aligned with the results chain of the Strategic Preparedness and Response Program at COVID-19. Thus, in addition to supporting the preparation and response to COVID-19 in the health sector, the project also provides for the response in the social protection sector by implementing mitigation measures to support the poor and vulnerable categories to cope with the immediate impact of the pandemic.

The financing agreement on the implementation of the “Emergency Response Project to COVID-19” is aligned with the Country Partnership Framework for the Republic of Moldova of the World Bank Group for 2018-2021, including the Strategic Preparedness and Response Program to COVID-19 by the use of the World Bank's Multi-Phase Programmatic Approach.

At the same time, the "Emergency Response Project to COVID-19" consists of the following two parts:

Part 1: "Emergency Response to COVID-19" (amounting to EUR 52.3 million), consists of providing immediate support to prevent the onset of COVID-19 or limit local transmission by applying quarantine strategies (including subcomponents: confirmation cases, strengthening the health system, information activities, but also social and financial support for households);

Part 2: Management, monitoring and evaluation of the implementation (worth 0.6 million EUR), consists in carrying out the project management activities.

Subsequently, in order to capitalize the loan funds provided by the Development Bank of the Council of Europe for financing the Project "Emergency Response to COVID-19, on December 23, 2020, the Republic of Moldova signed the Grant Agreement on additional financing for the project “Response of COVID-19” between the Republic of Moldova and the International Development Association, a document that provides for a refinancing of the health component in the form of a grant in order to provide additional support for the implementation of related activities to the original project, namely prevention, detection and response imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Moldova.

In order to implement the Project "Emergency Response to COVID-19", the following components of actions are proposed:

Part 1: "Emergency Response to COVID-19", the following activities are proposed:

Improving case confirmation (EUR 0.9 million) by, inter alia: (a) strengthening disease surveillance systems, selected public health laboratories and epidemiological capacity for early detection and confirmation of cases; and (b) the purchase of personal protective equipment, hygiene materials, COVID-19 test kits, laboratory reagents, chain polymerization reaction equipment, sample transport kits and light vehicles for the safe and rapid transport of samples.
Strengthen the health system, strengthen public health institutions to ensure the care of patients with COVID-19 in the critical phase and minimize the risk of infection of patients and healthcare workers (EUR 29.2 million), all through, inter alia: (a) the acquisition of personal protective equipment and hygiene materials; (b) conducting training on infection prevention and control practices; (c) the supply of medical equipment, medicines and consumables, including for beds within the Intensive Care Units (ICUs) of the designated hospitals; (d) conducting training courses on intensive care and therapy for COVID-19 to cope with the large number of patients requiring ICU hospitalization; (e) reconditioning / redevelopment of the ICU in order to remodel them and increase the availability of isolated salons; (f) the purchase of ambulances for the urgent transport of patients on the hospital network.
Support training and communication activities to increase the awareness, knowledge and awareness of the government, the private sector, civil society and the public about the risks and potential impact of the pandemic (EUR 0.3 million) by, inter alia: (a) developing and implementing a strategy communication and information, including changing social and behavioral communication through several channels; and (b) developing and disseminating communication materials on COVID-19; and on general preventive measures for the general public.
Providing social and financial support to households (EUR 21.9 million) by, inter alia: (a) supporting reforms under the Social Assistance program; and (b) the financing of cash transfers.

 Part 2: "Management, monitoring and evaluation of implementation", Project management activities are proposed, including: (a) carrying out financial management, procurement, environmental and social requirements within the Project; and (b) monitoring and evaluation within the Project, including monitoring by a third party.

In the process of implementing the Financing Agreement, the following documents will be developed in coordination with the World Bank and approved by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Protection: (i) The Operational Manual of the Project; (ii) Procurement Strategy; (iii) the Environmental and Social Framework, which will also include the Medical Waste Management Plan and Infection Control; and (iv) the Stakeholder Involvement Plan.

Based on this Financing Agreement, the Republic of Moldova will disburse the loan of 52.9 million euros, within 2 years, for the implementation of the measures agreed with the World Bank, according to the recommendations of the World Health Organization in this field. The repayment obligations of the loan start from October 15, 2025 until April 15, 2050.

This project will provide immediate support to respond urgently to COVID-19 throughout the Republic of Moldova, in particular to limit local transmission through isolation strategies, prevention and adequate control of viral infections and intensive care medical services for patients, who suffers from severe acute respiratory infections. Investment in infrastructure and training will develop the country's capacity to provide intensive care medical services to children and adults, including to respond to such outbreaks in the future.

Financing agreement between the Republic of Moldova and the International Development Association on the implementation of the "Emergency Response Project at COVID-19".

The purpose of the “Emergency Response to COVID-19” Project is to prevent, detect and respond to the threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in the Republic of Moldova.

The project concept provides immediate support to respond to the COVID-19 outbreak, with a focus on strengthening the technical capacities of medical institutions for the protection of staff and the management of serious cases and reducing the negative financial impact at the household level. Recognizing the importance of a well-balanced combination of interventions, the project will provide support to increase case detection capacity, improve the safety of front-line staff at all levels, and support the human and technical capacity of intensive care units to manage large numbers of serious cases. In addition, the project will support social assistance efforts to mitigate the effects of quarantine measures on the poor.

The intended beneficiaries of the project will be the general population, taking into account the nature of the disease, the infected persons, the population at risk, in particular the elderly and the chronically ill, medical and emergency personnel, medical and testing institutions, and public health involvement in response measures. If the current trend continues, women will benefit especially from the project, as the first data indicate that more than 50% of the cases confirmed by COVID-19 in the Republic of Moldova are among women. Front-line health workers, who will also be disproportionately at risk, but will also disproportionately benefit from the project (through investments in personal protective equipment), are most often women. In addition, workers and families affected by the outbreak of COVID-19 by losing their jobs or income will be better protected, especially in the case of vulnerable groups, by expanding the coverage and benefit of the Social Assistance program.