THE PREMISES OF ESTABLISHING A POISON CENTRE

Abstract

Objectives. In the last 20-30 years, humanity is faced with the paradigm of drawing special attention to chemical safety, because in actual conditions the population comes in contact with an impressive number of chemical substances and mixtures, both in habitual and production conditions. The creation and strengthening of the Poison Center has been recognized as a prior necessity in international forums and one of the essential actions for good governance, included in the WHO Roadmap, approved by the 70th Assembly. The purpose of the paper is to evaluate the possibilities and the necessity of creating the Poison Center in the Republic of Moldova.

Materials and methods. A synthesis of the scientific articles, guidelines regarding the activity of the Poison Centers was carried out, using the databases Pubmed, Medline, Google Scholar, WHO data. Also, the experience and legislation of the countries of the former Yugoslavia, France, Estonia, etc., in the field of toxicological information and Poison Centers operation were studied.

Results and discussions. A Poison Center is a specialized structure that provides advice and assistance in detecting, preparing and responding to chemical incidents, alerting on the increase in the rate of poisoning, identifying the dangerous substances that caused the poisoning, rapid risk assessment, recommendations on measures of prevention and protection, diagnosis and treatment, provision of antidotes, recommendations on their correct use. Currently, one of the priority actions included in the International Sanitary Regulations for implementation in the Republic of Moldova is the operationalization of Poison Center and the development of a data management software for potentially toxic chemical substances, which currently constitutes the main link of the toxicological segment within the health system.

Conclusions. Given the fact that the creation and management of Poison Center is one of the priority actions for implementation in the Republic of Moldova, this action requires a complex approach at the national level and categorized as an essential medium-term objective. The benefits of Poison Center are demonstrated by scientific studies, and require supporting and anticipating measures to prevent poisoning and unnecessary expenditure on health services, by saving patient care costs, reducing the length of hospital stay and minimizing lost work days.