1. The project “HOSPITAL-COMMUNITY, Continuous Care Pathway for Newborns and Infants at High Risk of Illness and Death” implemented by the National Institute for Maternal and Child Health “Alessandrescu-Rusescu” as the beneficiary, together with the CRED Foundation, the Romanian-Swiss Center for Health System Development, as a partner, during January 2017 – June 2021.
   Co-financed by the European Social Fund through the Human Capital Operational Program 2014–2020, the “HOSPITAL-COMMUNITY” project contributed to improving the competencies of medical professionals and led to the provision of appropriate and high-quality medical services for newborns and infants, ensuring continuity of care from birth, through the first year of life, and beyond. Special attention was given to preventive care and to the specific needs of low-birth-weight infants, as well as infants in general, through a comprehensive training program targeting medical staff—doctors, nurses, and midwives—working across the full service chain: delivery rooms, neonatal units, pediatric wards, emergency services, and family medicine. Over 800 medical professionals participated in professional development programs offered through the project, aiming to rapidly advance knowledge and practices in newborn care, particularly for premature infants, with an emphasis on applied training and case studies.
   At the same time, tools necessary for standardizing proven effective medical interventions were created and operationalized through the development and updating of clinical practice guidelines for five priority care areas: stabilization of vital functions in newborns and infants for transport, diagnosis and management of respiratory insufficiency, nutrition, management of convulsions, and hydro-electrolytic balance in acute dehydration syndromes.

2. Based on the Framework Agreement between the Swiss Federal Council and the Government of Romania regarding the implementation of the Swiss-Romanian Cooperation Program aimed at reducing economic and social disparities within the expanded European Union, the Thematic Health Reform Fund was implemented during 2012–2019 (https://fb.watch/6FdtXPK_Vq/). Its general objectives were:

• improving access to social and health services through the introduction and consolidation of integrated community health and social services (https://www.asistenta-comunitara-integrata.neonatologie.ro)

• increasing the quality of emergency and hospital medical services through projects such as:

  • Improvement of emergency medical services (ER)

  • Improvement of pediatric intensive care services (PICU)

  • National training centers through medical simulation (SIMLAB)

The Swiss Intermediate Body designated by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation to coordinate the implementation of this Thematic Fund consisted of the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute in Basel and the CRED Foundation – Romanian-Swiss Center for Health System Development in Bucharest. Projects under this Thematic Fund were implemented by the Ministry of Health, Local Authorities, and the Health Policy and Services Foundation.

1. Projects under the European Social Fund, Sectoral Operational Program Human Resources Development 2007–2013, Priority Axis 3 “Increasing adaptability of workers and enterprises,” Major Intervention Area 3.2 “Training and support for enterprises and employees to promote adaptability.”

2. The project “Professional Training in Neonatology and Promotion of New Technologies for Healthcare Personnel,” co-financed by the European Social Fund, Sectoral Operational Program Human Resources Development 2007–2013, implemented by the CRED Foundation in partnership with “Gr.T.Popa” University of Medicine and Pharmacy Iasi, Siveco Romania SA, and the Romanian College of Physicians, during July 2010 – April 2013. The project improved professional competencies of staff involved in newborn care, targeting medical personnel at all levels of maternity care, as well as physicians from other specialties involved in newborn care (pediatricians, surgeons, family doctors, etc.). The project introduced distance learning via an eLearning platform, providing educational material for consultation and self-testing. Additionally, training included practical team exercises using a newborn simulator with complex physiological models to mimic real situations.

3. The project “Regional Centers of Excellence for Improving Healthcare Process Performance in Romania,” co-financed by the European Social Fund, Sectoral Operational Program Human Resources Development 2007–2013, ran from December 2010 – March 2013. CRED Foundation’s partners were the National School of Public Health, Management and Continuing Education, Advanced Thinking SRL, and Freiburg University Hospital, Germany. The project aimed to increase adaptability and flexibility of medical staff and managers in the healthcare sector through innovative process optimization concepts and the implementation of specific quality improvement projects. It facilitated international knowledge and best practice transfer through national and transnational exchanges, establishing a national center and three regional pilot centers.

4. The Swiss-Moldovan Perinatology Project, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, implemented in the Republic of Moldova by the Swiss Tropical and Public Health Institute (Swiss TPH) through the Swiss Centre for International Health, during 2011–2017. The CRED Foundation contributed technical and project management support based on experience accumulated in previous projects, particularly the RoNeonat Project in Romania, in areas including medical technology management (HTM), clinical practice guidelines and local protocols, quality management (QM), continuous staff training, international professional cooperation, experience exchange, and organizational development.

5. The Romanian-Swiss Neonatology Project “RoNeonat,” funded 2003–2007 by the Swiss Government through the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). The project modernized neonatal services in Romania nationally and created models later extended through the Health Sector Reform Program implemented by the Ministry of Health with World Bank and other international financial support. Main intervention areas:

• Regionalization of neonatal services

• Medical staff training

• Infrastructure improvement and medical technology management

• Monitoring high-risk newborns

• Neonatal transport

• Quality management and clinical practice guideline development

• Community health promotion campaigns

The RoNeonat project website was transferred to the Neonatology Association of Romania: www.neoantologie.ro

1. Training project for staff in obstetrics-gynecology and neonatal units within the Ministry of Health Reform Program, funded by the World Bank and implemented by CRED Foundation and Swiss TPH, conducted September 2009 – June 2010. Courses for obstetric and neonatal staff (doctors and nurses) were organized in 10 regional training centers, covering regionalization, evidence-based practice, newborn resuscitation, and doctor-patient communication. Nearly 800 doctors, nurses, and midwives participated.

2. Support for women with postpartum mental health issues, implemented in 2009 under the Phare Program 2006/018-147.03.12, addressing postpartum depression risks through pilot interventions to improve service quality at community and specialist levels.

3. The project “Quality Assurance System in Maternity Wards,” within the Ministry of Health Reform Program, funded by the World Bank and implemented by Swiss TPH and CRED Foundation, September 2009 – May 2010. It piloted and concluded the need for quality management systems in maternity wards, modern work conditions for staff motivation, leadership strengthening, and adaptation of clinical guidelines into local protocols.

4. The project “Operational Manual for the Transfer System of Pregnant Women and Newborns,” part of the Ministry of Health Reform Program, funded by the World Bank and implemented by Swiss TPH and CRED Foundation, September 2009 – March 2010. Priority steps included updating the regionalization system and utilizing methodological and professional channels by Level III/regional centers in collaboration with Level II and I maternity wards.

5. The multi-year project “Neonatal Resuscitation Training (NRP)” included, from 2008 to present, periodic training sessions in university centers nationwide for maternity staff, organized by CRED Foundation with the Romanian Neonatology Association and supported by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, USA. The latest editions of the American Academy of Pediatrics Neonatal Resuscitation Manual were translated into Romanian.

6. Support for the “Development of Perinatal Health Strategy in Macedonia,” a UNICEF project during 2008–2010, implemented together with the Swiss Centre for International Health (SCIH) and the National Perinatology Committee of Macedonia.