Timofei Moșneaga
Moldovan physician and politician (1932–2014)
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Timofei Moșneaga (pronounced [timoˈfej moʃˈne̯aɡa]; 6 March 1932 – 1 June 2014) was a Moldovan and Soviet physician, healthcare administrator, and politician who served as Minister of Health of Moldova from 1994 to 1997. He was director of the Republican Clinical Hospital for over forty years (1960–2003). Since 2017, the hospital has been named after him.
Petru Lucinschi
Timofei Moșneaga | |
|---|---|
Moșneaga, c. late 1980s | |
| Director of the Republican Clinical Hospital | |
| In office 24 January 1997 – 26 December 2003 | |
| Succeeded by | Mihai Ouș |
| In office 27 February 1960 – 5 April 1994 | |
| Preceded by | Iulian Kaspersky |
| Minister of Health | |
| In office 5 April 1994 – 24 January 1997 | |
| President | Mircea Snegur Petru Lucinschi |
| Prime Minister | Andrei Sangheli |
| Preceded by | Gheorghe Ghidirim |
| Succeeded by | Mihai Magdei |
| Member of the Moldovan Parliament | |
| In office 27 February 1994 – 5 April 1994 | |
| Succeeded by | Anatolie Popușoi |
| Parliamentary group | Democratic Agrarian Party |
| Leader of the Moldovan group of observers in the Soviet of the Republics of the Soviet Union | |
| In office 18 October 1991 – 26 December 1991 | |
| President | Mircea Snegur |
| Prime Minister | Valeriu Muravschi |
| People's Deputy of the Soviet Union | |
| In office 25 May 1989 – 5 September 1991 | |
| Constituency | Chișinău |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 6 March 1932 |
| Died | 1 June 2014 (aged 82) Chișinău, Moldova |
| Resting place | Chișinău Central Cemetery |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Chișinău State Institute of Medicine |
| Occupation |
|
Known for | Director of the Republican Clinical Hospital |
Awards | Order of the Republic Order of Lenin People's Doctor of the USSR State Prize of the Moldavian SSR |
Early life
Timofei Moșneaga was born on 6 March 1932 in Corjova, Dubăsari District, to Vasile and Eufrosenia Moșneaga. He was one of eight children, having four sisters and three brothers.
He attended primary school in his native village before continuing his secondary education in Dubăsari. Between 1947 and 1950 he attended the School of Medical Assistants in Bender and, after graduation, the Faculty of General Medicine at the Chișinău State Institute of Medicine. In 1959, after receiving his medical diploma, Moșneaga was admitted to doctoral studies. He subsequently defended his doctoral thesis in medical sciences and was conferred the academic rank of associate professor.
Career
In early 1960, at the age of 27, Moșneaga was appointed director of the Republican Clinical Hospital. He held the position for more than four decades. At the time of his appointment, the hospital operated from several adapted post-war buildings that no longer met the standards required for specialised medical care. One of his principal objectives was the construction of a new hospital complex. Following years of planning and development, the new hospital building was inaugurated in 1977.
Shortly, specialized departments for patients with somatic and surgical diseases endowed with up-to-date medical technologies, including equipment for the modern method of lithotripsy of kidney stones, opened at the RCH. Departments of gastric surgery, proctology, vascular surgery, paediatric cardiac surgery and endoscopic surgery were established in the surgical building. The Department of Medical Diagnosis was equipped with up-to-date equipment, thus, establishing offices of magnetic resonance tomography, the Laboratory of Clinical Immunology, Bacteriological Laboratory, the Department of Angiography of Peripheral Vessels and Cardio angiography.
Moșneaga made an essential contribution to the creation of proper conditions for teaching, scientific and clinical activities carried out at 15 chairs of the Chișinău Institute of Medicine.
He has published circa 150 scientific papers, including 3 monographs, as well as educated 16 Doctors of Medicine.
In 1980 Moldovan filmmaker Anatol Codru produced a biopic about Timofei Moșneaga titled My Life's Dream (Russian: Мечта моей жизни). The music for the film was composed by Arkady Luxemburg. For the design and construction of the new building of the Republican Clinical Hospital, Moșneaga was awarded the State Prize of the Moldavian SSR in literature, arts and architecture (1982).[1]
In 2002, in honour of Moșneaga's 70th birthday, Moldovan publicist Ion Stici wrote a biography titled Timofei Moșneaga – The People's Doctor (Romanian: Medicul poporului Timofei Moșneaga).[2]
For outstanding merits in his professional activity, Moșneaga was awarded the honorary titles of Merited Doctor of the Moldavian SSR, People's Doctor of the USSR and received high state distinctions, among which the Order of the Republic. In 2003, he was awarded the title of Honorary Director of the Republican Clinical Hospital.
Political career
In 1957, he was elected Member of the Chișinău City Council.
In 1989, Moșneaga was elected People's Deputy of the Soviet Union and was a member of the Supreme Soviet Committee on Foreign Affairs.[3] He, alongside Eugen Doga, were the only members of the Moldavian faction that penned an open letter to Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, condemning the separatist movement brewing in Transnistria at the time. Following Moldova's proclamation of independence, he was appointed leader of the Moldovan group of special observers in the Soviet of the Republics of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR.
In 1994, he was elected Member of the Moldovan Parliament, being a member of the Committee for Social Protection, Healthcare and Ecology.
In the period 1994–1997, Moșneaga served as the Minister of Health of Moldova. During his term as minister, he advocated for the preservation of the national medical heritage, strengthening the efficiency of the country's medical personnel and health institutions. He worked with the government of Japan to attract investments into the national healthcare system and as a result, a large part of hospitals across Moldova were equipped with Siemens' state-of-the-art medical equipment. In 1995, the Health Ministry headed by Moșneaga elaborated the National Healthcare Law, which, to this day, regulates the activity of the Moldovan healthcare system. During his mandate, he established relations with the World Health Organization, whose regional office was opened in Chișinău.
Personal life
Timofei Moșneaga was married to Maria Moșneaga (née Burlacu; 1931–2016), an obstetrician-gynaecologist, Doctor of Medicine, recipient of the Order of Work Glory. They had two sons.
Legacy
Moșneaga died on 1 June 2014 in Chișinău.[4]
His bust stands among 41 other distinguished doctors on the Alley of Brilliant Scientists and Doctors in Chișinău, near the Nicolae Testemițanu State University of Medicine and Pharmacy.[5]
As of 19 July 2017, per the Moldovan Cabinet's decision, the Republican Clinical Hospital bears the name of Timofei Moșneaga.[6]
In October 2017, in honour of the RCH's 200th anniversary, a bas-relief commemorating Timofei Moșneaga was installed at the hospital's main entrance.[7]
Honours and awards
| Year | Country | Honour | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 |  |
 |
Medal "For Labour Valour" |
| 1966 |  |
 |
Merited Doctor of the Moldavian SSR |
| 1970 | |
 |
Jubilee Medal "For Valiant Labour – In Commemoration of the 100th Anniversary of the Birth of Vladimir Ilyich Lenin" |
| 1971 | |
 |
Order of the Badge of Honour |
| 1976 | |
 |
Order of the Red Banner of Labour |
| 1979 | |
 |
People's Doctor of the USSR |
| 1982 | |
 |
State Prize of the Moldavian SSR |
| 1986 | |
 |
Order of Lenin |
| 1997 |  |
 |
Order of the Republic |
| 2004 | |
 |
Nicolae Testemițanu Medal |