Nicolae Testemițanu


Nicolae Testemițanu was a Moldovan and Soviet surgeon, hygienist, and politician.

Political career

Upon graduating, he worked as a surgeon at the District Hospital in Riscani. He was Rector of State University of Medicine and Pharmacy from 1959 to 1963, where he founded four faculties there – Dentistry, Advanced Training of Doctors, Preventive Medicine, and Pharmacy.
He served as minister of health of the Moldavian SSR between 1963 and 1968, after which he was demoted for allegedly promoting too many autochthonous medical personnel, contrary to Soviet Russification policies. Upon his dismissal, he returned to working at the Department of Social Medicine and the Health Care Organization.

Honours

The State University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Chișinău is named after him.