Specialists from the Republic of Moldova participated, on 12–13 February 2026, in a study visit to the Oncology Institute in Ljubljana, where they examined in detail how Slovenia has built an effective national organized screening programme for the prevention of cervical cancer. The activity took place as part of an experience-sharing initiative aimed at strengthening institutional and medical capacities for the prevention and early detection of this disease.
The event was hosted by the ZORA Programme (Slovenia’s National Cervical Cancer Screening Programme) and organized in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund and the Regional Alliance for Cervical Cancer Prevention in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. Experts from several countries of Eastern Europe and Central Asia took part in the meeting.
The delegation from the Republic of Moldova included professionals involved in implementing the National Cervical Cancer Screening Programme: Diana Văluță, Head of the Cervical Cancer Screening Implementation Coordination Unit at the Institute of Mother and Child in Chișinău, and Ludmila Ispir, obstetrician-gynaecologist and colposcopist.
The two-day programme provided a comprehensive overview of how Slovenia has developed and manages the ZORA Programme, including the transition from opportunistic screening to an organized, population-based screening model and its integration into the national health system. Slovenian specialists presented the legal framework, governance structure, and national-level outcomes achieved.
The agenda included presentations on the screening pathway, from inviting women for testing to diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up, as well as on the operation of the national screening registry and quality assurance mechanisms. Topics also covered the modernization of digital infrastructure, data protection, and the interoperability of information systems.
Visits to a primary healthcare centre in Ljubljana and to the Cytopathology Laboratory of the Oncology Institute enabled participants to directly observe the organization of screening services, sample processing workflows, and the application of quality control procedures. Discussions with Slovenian experts facilitated the exchange of experience in public communication, community engagement, and the integration of HPV testing as the primary screening method within the national programme.
Overall, the activity provided a valuable platform for learning and professional exchange between specialists from Slovenia and the Republic of Moldova, contributing to strengthened regional cooperation in cervical cancer prevention.
