Dear Madam Minister,

dear partners, honored audience,

I feel honored to greet you today at the launch of the contest with the generic name " Health Integrity Promoter ", organized jointly with the Ministry of Health, the National Medical Insurance Company and our trusted partners - the Swiss Red Cross - within the "Equity" project in health through social responsibility", implemented by A.O. "CASMED" and A.O. "HOMECARE", with the financial support of the Swiss Government.

We are all aware that preventing and combating corruption at all levels is a fundamental premise for strengthening integrity mechanisms and promoting social values, especially for the proper functioning of state institutions.

The health system is one of the Center's priority areas to prevent and fight corruption and promote the culture of institutional and professional integrity.

Thus, together with our partners, we proposed to organize the " Health Integrity Promoter" competition intended for institutions in the public health protection system in the country, in which to promote institutional integrity and to capitalize on the results and efforts made by the Center and the Ministry Health within the information and awareness-raising campaigns, launched at the country level at medical institutions, during the years 2019 and 2022-2023, with the generic "Corruption Seriously Harms Health" and "Integrity for Health".

During the stated period, approximately 150 trainings on integrity and anti-corruption standards were held at the level of municipalities and in 32 districts at public medical and sanitary institutions and health centers for 10,600 medical personnel.

The " Health Integrity Promoter" competion aims to promote and strengthen the culture of institutional and professional integrity within the institutions of the public health protection system in the country, as well as to ensure the role of managers of medical institutions in the implementation and application of measures to ensure institutional integrity.

The participants in the contest are to submit, starting today and until the current December 19, to the Center and the Ministry of Health, the Self-Assessment Report of the Integrity Standards in the Health System, which includes measures to ensure institutional integrity, according to the Law integrity no. 82/2017.

The judging panel of which the contest partners are a part will assess the level of implementation of measures to ensure institutional integrity in the activity of institutions in the public health protection system and will ascertain the institutional tools and mechanisms for promoting a culture of integrity in the provision of health services and the application of standards anti-corruption and will designate the winners of the contest with the maximum score, but not less than 25 points.

The conditions, the evaluation criteria and the deadline for submitting the documents will be placed on the page of the Center, the Ministry of Health, CNAM and the contest partners. The winners of the contest will be awarded at the "Health Integrity Promoter" Award Gala, which will be organized jointly with the partners.

We encourage the heads of institutions in the country's public health protection system to participate in the given competition, showing a level of responsibility in ensuring and controlling integrity policies and respecting the patient's interest.

I would like to thank the minister for supporting the initiative to promote the culture of integrity in health, as well as the Swiss Red Cross partners, A.O. "CASMED" and A.O. "HOMECARE", for the support, cooperation and joint efforts made in strengthening the institutional capacities to prevent corruption and promote integrity and anti-corruption standards.

Good luck to the contestants!