A brief history
The foundation of the Department of General Surgery “Nicolae Anestiadi” lies in two prestigious academic structures of the “Nicolae Testemițanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy — the Department of General Surgery-Semiology No. 3 and the Department of Surgery No. 1 “Nicolae Anestiadi”.
Both trace their origins to the year 1945, with the establishment of the State Medical Institute in Chișinau, and have made a decisive contribution to the development of the national school of surgery.
The Department of General Surgery-Semiology No. 3 has been operating since 1945, when Chisinau State Institute of Medicine was founded. Between 1945-1947, the Department was headed by professor Savely Rubashov. Born in 1883 in Saint Petersburg , he graduated from the Faculty of Medicine of Kharkiv University, later being appointed head of surgery departments in Minsk, Leningrad, Novosibirsk, Kislovodsk.
Afterwards the Department of General Surgery was successively fronted by professors Alexei Livov (1947-1950), Piotr Khokhlov (1950-1952), Leontii Shuljak (1952-1954), Martiros Arutiunyan (1954-1957) and Nicolai Gladyrevsky (1957- 1962). Professor Gladyrevsky was appointed vice-rector responsible for scientific activity and subsequently founded the Department of Traumatology, Orthopedics and Military Field Surgery.
In the years 1962-1979, the leadership of the Department was taken over by Professor Constantin Tsybyrne. During this period, the spectrum of scientific activity at the Department has been essentially broadened. Thoracic and abdominal surgery matters such as echinococcosis, suppurative diseases of the lungs, ulcerative disease, portal hypertension were studied in detail.
During the tenure of professor Gheorghe Ghidirim (1979-1991), the scientific-pedagogical and clinical activity registered remarkable success. The scientific work resulted in the defense of several theses dedicated to complications of acute pancreatitis, ulcerative diseases and septic diseases; a series of monographs have been published; and an authentic school of surgery was set up. In 1993, professor Ghidirim became an academician of the Academy of Sciences of Moldova. For several years, he was President of N. Anestiadi Association of Surgeons and of the College of Physicians of Moldova. Between 1990-1994, Gheorghe Ghidirim served as Minister of Health. He was decorated with many government orders and medals.
In the following years, the department was headed by Nicolae Curlat (1991-1994), professors Silviu Sofronie (1994-1995) and Evstafie Chicala (1995-2003). Professor Chicala carried out a prodigious scientific activity, in particular by approaching the issue of bleeding peptic ulcer, which was tackled in his Doctor Habilitated dissertation (defended in 1992) as well. The scientist’s research is concerned with vascular surgical pathology and reconstructive surgery of the digestive tract, a series of monographs and textbooks being published in this area.
Between 2003-2005, the General Surgery Department was fronted by Associate Professor Ion Parush. Since 2005 it has been led by professor Eugen Gutu. Over the next 17 years, under the leadership of Professor E. Gutu, the department achieved the greatest success in scientific, clinical and pedagogical activities, and also formed as a mature and strong team of like-minded people. Exceptional surgical skills, inexhaustible energy, innovative approach and direct personal involvement of the head of the department in the curative process allowed to significantly expand the spectrum and increase the number of operations performed in the Clinic. For the first time, radical interventions for tumors of the stomach, intestines and pancreas began to be successfully carried out; complex reconstructions of the biliary ducts and blood vessels; advanced approaches to the treatment of acute diseases of the abdominal organs and purulent infection of soft tissues were implemented in routine practice.
Inspired by the personal example of their leader, the academic staff of the chair and clinical staff of the surgical departments enthusiastically took part in the development of the main directions of the Clinic: diagnostics and treatment of pathology of the abdominal organs and management of the diseases of the major blood vessels.
Under the supervision of Professor E. Gutu, during this period, several PhD and post-doctoral dissertations were written and successfully defended, dedicated to various actual problems of modern surgery: "Acute bleeding gastroduodenal ulcers: etiopathogenetic, clinical and endoscopic features and treatment" (G. Mocanu, PhD, 2007); "Possibilities of endoscopic dissection of perforating veins in the treatment of severe chronic venous insufficiency" (V. Culiuc, PhD, 2009); "Features of diagnostics and treatment of acute appendicitis during pregnancy" (V. Guzun, PhD, 2014); "Surgical approaches to the treatment of varicose veins of the lower extremities" (D. Casian, Dr.Hab., 2018); "Remote results of surgical treatment of varicose veins: clinical and hemodynamic aspects" (V. Maloghin, PhD, 2018); "Early and remote results of treatment of deep vein thrombosis of the inferior vena cava system" (M. Sochirca, PhD, 2019).
Currently, the department operates at three clinical centers: Municipal Clinical Hospital "Gheorghe Paladi", Institute of Emergency Medicine and Central Military Hospital. The enormous methodological work carried out personally by Professor E. Gutu and the team led by him made it possible to bring the teaching of general surgery and surgical semiology to a qualitatively new level. Over the past years, the main didactic materials used in the department – a textbook, a series of methodological recommendations, lectures, presentations, examination tests and questions, a collection of clinical cases – all have been comprehensively updated and completely unified in three languages (Romanian, Russian, English).
At the initiative of the head of the department, modern methods of teaching surgery were introduced with an emphasis on students mastering practical skills at the patient's bedside, in operating theatre and dressing rooms, as well as using mannequins and simulators. In addition to 3rd-year students, the department constantly trains surgical residents, as well as hold surgery modules for residents in other specialties: family medicine, dermato-venereology, otolaryngology, obstetrics and gynecology.
In 2022, Professor E. Gutu handed over the lead of the department to his follower, the chief of the Vascular surgery Clinic at the Institute of Emergency Medicine Prof. D. Casian, remaining at the same time an indisputable authority, ideological inspirer and worthy role model for his colleagues.
The Department of Surgery No. 1 "Nicolae Anestiadi" was established based on the Department of Faculty Surgery, inaugurated in 1945 on the basis of the surgery wards of Hospital No. 4 in Chişinău, which existed until 1992. The founder of the Department of Faculty Surgery was Professor S. Rubaşov, a representative of the surgery school from Saint Petersburg. Serving in this position from 1945 to 1950, Professor Rubaşov also held the position of chief surgeon of the Ministry of Health, founding the Scientific Society of Surgeons of Moldova as well as the Republican Oncology Dispensary.
The department's team carried out a significant volume of clinical and scientific work focused on "Eliminating the consequences of military trauma." In the years 1950-1951, the department was led by Professor A. Lvov, who promoted thoracic surgery, including esophageal plasty. From 1951 to 1956, the department was headed by Professor N. Kukin, a representative of the Moscow surgical school and a disciple of Academician A. Vişnevski. Scientific research was dedicated to issues related to the mammary gland, anesthesiology, thoracic surgery, and others.
Between 1956 and 1959, Professor D. Skripnicenko, a disciple of Academician V. I. Strucikov, led the department. The scientific theme was primarily focused on diagnostic and treatment methods for surgical lung diseases.
The activity of the department became even more prolific with the arrival of Nicolae Anestiadi, a distinguished surgeon and scientist, Honored Person in the field of Science (1956-1968). Having gone through the hardships of wartime medicine, Mr. Anestiadi joined the staff of the then State Medical Institute after demobilization in 1947. After defending his doctoral thesis in medical sciences on "The prolongation of the anesthetic action of Novocaine" in 1953, Nicolae Anestiadi dedicated his energy and creative spirit to studying homeostasis parameters in the surgical pathology of the lungs and abdominal organs. As head of the department, he initiated a series of original works that established the physiological direction in the national surgical science. His scientific investigations formed the basis of his habilitation thesis "Lung resection in nonspecific purulent processes" in 1964. During his relatively short active period, the passionate scientist and tireless surgeon trained over 20 doctors in medical sciences, laying the foundation for the national surgical school. Nicolae Anestiadi also laid the groundwork for cardiac surgery in 1961, elevating it to an advanced level for that period, together with a group of cardiac surgeons trained in Professor S. A. Kolesnikov's school in Moscow—V. Vasiliev, I. Melnic, B. Golea. In 1964, he inaugurated the cardiovascular surgery department, led by Associate Professor V. Vasiliev. After the sudden death of Professor Anestiadi in 1968, the Department was led by Associate Professor B. Golea, who, along with the team, developed the scientific topics and clinical traditions of the department. From 1986 to 1992, the head of the department was Professor V. Satmari.
In 1992, the Department of Faculty Surgery was divided into two teams. Department No. 1 of Surgery operates under the leadership of Gh. Ghidirim, a doctor habilitated in medical sciences, university professor, and academician of the ASM. The scientific focus of Department No. 1 is dedicated to issues of the digestive system, including diagnostic and treatment methods for peptic ulcer disease and acute pancreatitis. The team established the basis of pancreatology in Moldova, promoting organ-preserving procedures in the treatment of severe forms of pancreatic necrosis. Another major concern of the department is the diagnosis and treatment of bleeding peptic ulcers.
Since 1991, Department No. 1 has served as a training base for surgical residents. It is also the founder of a new branch in medicine—laparoscopic surgery, organizing the first such department in Moldova (the first laparoscopic cholecystectomy was performed by A. Ghereg under the supervision of Academician Gh. Ghidirim on 06.12.1992). Additionally, the department was the first in Moldova to establish and promote bariatric and aesthetic surgery.
Department No. 1 (since 1995 "Nicolae Anestiadi") has its clinical base at the Institute of Emergency Medicine, with four surgical departments and an endoscopy division, as well as surgical departments at the Association of Curative-Sanatorium Hospitals of the Government of Moldova and the Ministry of Health hospitals. Together with the clinic's staff, the team provides all emergency surgery in Chişinău and partially across the country. Academician Gh. Ghidirim founded and led the Medical Sciences Section of the ASM from 1993 to 1995. He is a member of the European Association of Emergency Surgery, an honorary member of the Medical Sciences Academy of Romania, and an honorary member of the Society of Gynecological Laparoscopic Surgery.
From 2008 to 2022, the department operated at three clinical bases: the Institute of Emergency Medicine, the Municipal Clinic Hospital "St. Archangel Michael," and the Republican Hospital of the Curative-Sanatorium Association of the Government of Moldova (a total of 237 beds). The new surgical departments at the Institute of Emergency Medicine, opened in 2016 and 2017, includes thoracic surgery and vascular surgery units, each with 20 beds. Since September 2016, Gheorghe Rojnoveanu, a doctor habilitated in medical sciences, university professor, and vice-rector for scientific activity at USMF "Nicolae Testemițanu," has been the head of the department. Continuing the department's scientific traditions, he has developed new areas such as thoraco-abdominal trauma management, hepatobiliary-pancreatic surgery, oncological pathology, and surgical safety. Currently, the department operates at the Institute of Emergency Medicine with five surgical departments and an endoscopy division, totaling 155 beds.
In 2025, by decision of the Senate of the “Nicolae Testemițanu” State University of Medicine and Pharmacy, the Department of General Surgery-Semiology No. 3 and the Department of Surgery No. 1 “Nicolae Anestiadi” were unified under the common name - Department of General Surgery ‘Nicolae Anestiadi”.
This reorganization marks a moment of historical continuity and professional unity, bringing together the traditions of the most important surgical schools in the Republic of Moldova.
The new department capitalizes on the scientific, clinical and pedagogical experience accumulated over eight decades, reaffirming the spirit of excellence promoted by the masters Nicolae Anestiadi, Evstafie Cicala, Gheorghe Ghidirim, Eugen Gutu and Gheorghe Rojnoveanu — a true modern, competitive school of general surgery, dedicated to training future generations of surgeons.