In Ungheni, quietly, works one of the few „doors” through which women from four districts can find out in time whether they have breast cancer. It is a regional centre for the early detection of breast cancer, hosted by the IMSP Ungheni Health Centre, which serves not only the municipality but also the Nisporeni, Călărași and Fălești districts — under Health Ministry Order no. 96 of February 2026. The services are free, covered from the compulsory health-insurance funds, through CNAM.
That the centre is working was visible these very days: in early July, a group of employees of a factory in the region were examined here, of whom some were called on for ultrasound and mammography. It is an example of how an organised group reaches Ungheni — but for an ordinary woman, the practical question remains: who has access and how do you get there?
Who it is for — and how to reach the centre
Here it is important not to create the wrong expectation. The Ungheni programme is not a general invitation to all healthy women to come for a „check-up” mammogram. It is an early-detection programme, designed for women who have a suspicious sign or symptom — a lump, a change in the breast or the skin, a discharge — whether noticed by themselves or by a doctor.
The pathway, as described by Order 96 and the national clinical protocol, has two entries:
- through the family doctor or gynaecologist, who, on finding something suspicious, refers you to the regional centre with a referral note (form F027/e);
- through direct address to the regional centre in Ungheni, where a doctor fills in an examination sheet.
A clinical breast examination is recommended annually, from age 18 — most often at the family doctor. What is not clear from the public documents is whether a woman with no symptoms at all can call and book a free mammogram in Ungheni herself; the rules tie the service to the presence of suspicious signs. The safest thing is to ask directly at the Ungheni Health Centre front desk (0236 22382) how to proceed in your case.
What is done, depending on age
Once at the centre, the imaging investigation depends on age, according to the national clinical protocol:
- under 40 — an ultrasound (ultrasonography) of the breasts, with 2D and Doppler;
- over 40 — a digital mammogram plus a breast ultrasound.
All of this is done by a specialised imaging doctor and is free, paid from CNAM funds from 2026. If a suspicion arises, the path continues to the reference centre — the Oncology Institute in Chișinău — and the protocol sets a 60-day deadline for confirming or ruling out the diagnosis, counted from the first contact with the health system.
Why detecting it in time matters
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer among women in the Republic of Moldova — the first by number of cases. In 2024, 1,229 new cases were recorded nationally (51.2 per 100,000 inhabitants), according to National Agency for Public Health data relayed by the National Bureau of Statistics.
The point of early detection lies exactly here: in Moldova, a significant share of breast-cancer cases are caught only at late stages — all the more reason for a place, close to home, where a suspicious sign can be checked quickly.
How much has already been done through this network
The Ungheni centre is part of a national network of regional centres, alongside Chișinău, Bălți, Căușeni and the Oncology Institute. According to CNAM, in 2025, across this whole network, over 12,500 women from the municipalities and the five districts served (including Ungheni) went through early-detection services; over 5,000 had free digital mammography and ultrasound — over 5.3 million lei from the prevention fund. Over 800 were referred on to the Oncology Institute, and about 90 were confirmed with breast cancer. For 2026, CNAM planned 7 million lei for such services.
The figures are aggregated across the whole network — how many Ungheni women, specifically, went through the centre and how many cases were detected in the Ungheni district were not made public.
Where to turn
The regional centre is at the IMSP Ungheni Health Centre, 27 Romană St. Front desk — 0236 22382 (and 0236 25879); e-mail — cs.ungheni@csungheni.md; the institution also has an online-booking option on its website. The first step is usually the family doctor: they are the one who opens the pathway and issues the referral note.
This article explains the rules based on Health Ministry Order no. 96/2026, the National Clinical Protocol PCN-102 (breast cancer), the CNAM statement of January 2026 and National Bureau of Statistics data. We could not confirm, from official sources, whether a woman with no symptoms can directly book a free mammogram in Ungheni — this should be checked with the Ungheni Health Centre — nor a district-level breakdown for Ungheni of the number of beneficiaries and detected cases. The age thresholds (ultrasound under 40, mammography over 40) come from the clinical protocol; the annual clinical examination is recommended from age 18.