You Can Stop Corruption: Ziarul de Gardă at the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy Nicolae Testemiţanu
Student Igor G. wished through Ziarul de Gardă to ask the authorities: “how can a young person who wants to make a family survive nowadays, when you cannot afford to buy a house on the low salaries youths have? Is it possible to remain a patriot in such conditions?”
Pensioner Margareta P., 70, asked on the ‘Freedom of Speech’ stand: “how long will officials torture us with miserable pensions, when the price of food products go up everyday?”
The participants also had the opportunity to discuss matters with Ziarul de Gardă’s lawyer, Lilia Gulca. For example, university professor Galina Bejenaru was given some advice on the matter of the construction of an additional level in the five-floor building in Chişinău she lives in. Bejenaru said that that those who want to start the construction do not take into consideration the claims of the inhabitants of the whole building, and instead only asked two people who lived on the top floor. “They don’t care what will happen to the building afterwards, because they are going to sell their apartments and go abroad, thus, they don’t care if somebody illegally builds another level in order to become richer,” the professor said.
Our readers on corruption
Discussing with our reporters, Tatiana Bacalu from Peresecina, Orhei district, objected against the fact that price of food has considerably risen, in comparison with salaries, which have stayed the same. In Peresecina, sunflower oil costs 30 lei. People have a very difficult situation, everyone tries to cope with poverty as they can. The majority of them left to go abroad, those who stay at home are day labourers.”
Since we conducted a poll with members of the Cabinet of Ministers, we discovered that most of them have no idea about what percentage of their salaries are spent on food products. We asked Bacalu how much she spends to feed her family. What food? I spend 700 lei just on travelling, I hardly have money for bread and milk,” the woman told us.
The pensioner Raisa Camarovscaia from Chişinău came to the conclusion that, in the Republic of Moldova, poor people are helped by the poor, because rich people do not care how hard other people live. I am more likely to give money to a beggar, than somebody who has got millions will.”
Seeing us calling on citizens to fight against corruption, Lilia Morari, the mother of a disabled child, asked us if there is any sense in organising such a campaign, since those from the government act as if they didn’t hear citizens’ grievances. “Nowadays it is very difficult to live. For example, I raise a child with health problems. The government doesn’t help me with anything. When we receive any aid, the intermediary persons look sat us as if they have given it from their own pockets.” The woman told us that the allowance of 503 lei which her child receives is not enough even to pay for transport. “With what money should I buy food for my child?” the woman wondered, as she cannot work because she looks after her disabled child. So the allowance of 503 lei and her husband’s salary turns to be the only source of living for her family.
Students on corruption in universities
Teachers prepare low quality specialists in exchange for a bribe
Since it’s the exam period in universities, we asked the students of the State University of Medicine and Pharmacy Nicolae Testemiţanu what they know about corruption and how easy it is to pass an exam today.
Alexandru Bocanu:
“It is easier to pass an exam if you are somebody’s relative or if you pay a bribe. But I don’t want to use such methods because I am a first year student and if I start paying bribe now, I would have to do it until the sixth year and I don’t want to be accused when I graduate. I don’t want to hear behind me back such words as: ‘I know how he studied. He is not a good specialist at all’.”
Cristina Cernei:
“You can pass an exam only if you have knowledge and if you work hard all the year. There is no other way. This is the easiest way. Unfortunately, there are students who use other methods: they pay bribes, which doesn’t seem normal to me. Here, in Moldova, as we know, corruption is flourishing, and in many cases money solves everything. Unfortunately, sometimes this worsens the student’s knowledge. I think that we shouldn’t use such methods to become specialists, because they will become fatal both for us, and for the majority of the population. In fact, it is us, the young generation, who should fight against corruption.”
Iana Pavlovschi:
“The easiest way to pass an exam is to get along with the teacher. There are a lot of students who use this method. Undoubtedly, it would be twice as easier to learn, but, unfortunately, not everyone likes this method. I don’t know exactly which the price to pass an exam is, because I’ve never paid a bribe, but, as far as I have heard, it depends on the department you study in. Also, according to the department, the ‘payments’ are either in lei, or euro. I am revolted at this, because, for bribes, teachers prepare low quality specialists. It is terrible that such a phenomenon occurs in medicine. But, in my opinion, everything depends on the student’s future goal, either to make money or to help people.”
Cristina Rotaru:
“The easiest way to pass an exam is to have knowledge. It would be fair if the marks would show your real abilities. I have never paid a bribe, but I heard other students do. I don’t know the prices because I don’t live in a hostel, but I think a trainee doctor shouldn’t pay bribes.”
Dana Pavlovschi:
“You pass an exam easier if you pay. I am adept at another method, which requires good preparation for exams. Frankly speaking, I don’t like my colleagues who pay bribes and I don’t agree that they obtain the same marks as I do, even if I learn, and they just buy their grades. The only thing which makes me calm down is the fact that I will be a good specialist compared to them. The fact they have high marks doesn’t mean they have knowledge. It is terrible that corruption penetrates into medicine. I am sure that students who pay a bribe today will regret it in the future because they will feel remorse when they will not be able to save a human’s life because they didn’t make an effort to study. In fact, paying a bribe is equal to stealing.”
Dinu Condrea:
“In medicine, the easiest way to pass an exam is to study a lot. The truth is that subjects are difficult and some colleagues choose the easiest way to solve these difficulties, like for example, a bribe. This situation doesn’t seem right to me. The goal of the university is to prepare specialists in medicine, not in other domains, less decent ones. A doctor is made by God, and he must have noble goals, not illegal ones.”
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