MSD Romania: three decades of meaningful work

In 2023, MSD Romania saw sustained growth in critical areas like oncology and vaccines. This growth underscores the company’s role in developing transformative treatments and vaccines that save and improve lives, according to Marcelo Pascual Morales, the general manager of MSD Romania and Moldova.

By Anda Sebesi

What is your leadership style and how does it support your company’s performance?

Leadership that not only shapes, but transforms healthcare into a more equitable and patient-focused sector is the cornerstone of my leadership style, deeply rooted in our higher organisational purpose of saving and improving lives. Addressing both broad and specific challenges—ranging from emerging technologies and business models to new competitors—demands a clear vision. It requires nurturing innovation, cultivating an environment of trust, respect, and empathy, and embracing an entrepreneurial spirit. Understanding your core motivation is crucial for navigating through tech disruptors like artificial intelligence (AI), treatment paradigm changes, overcoming budget limitations, and adapting to industry-wide shifts and new regulations.

What were your main professional achievements in 2023?

Over the past year, we have deepened our commitment, significantly increasing our investments in pioneering health literacy initiatives. These projects are designed to enhance cancer care outcomes, extend support to patients in underprivileged communities, and broaden access to our innovative medicines. This focus is a cornerstone of our first comprehensive ESG strategy for Southeastern Europe, with a special emphasis on Romania.

At the heart of our ethos, we champion individuality and nurture a culture rich in inclusivity, all within a workspace engineered to spark innovation. Our culture thrives on experimentation, mutual respect, and diversity, promoting an open dialogue for fresh ideas. We not only advocate for these values but also live by them. It fills me with immense pride to share that MSD Romania has been honoured as the 4th best place to work in Romania for 2023, as recognised by the prestigious annual “Best Places to Work” certification programme.

What were the biggest challenges your business sector faced last year and how did you navigate them?

In recent years, a critical challenge has been the misalignment between health priorities and the allocation and utilisation of essential resources, leading to a pressing concern over the potential jeopardising of Romanian patients’ access to necessary healthcare services and treatments. This situation underscores the vital need for patient and medical system requirements to be accurately reflected in budget allocations, as underfunding inevitably worsens health outcomes.

In particular, the funding situation is dramatic in oncology where, from an economic perspective, the cost of inaction against cancer in Romania has a negative annual impact estimated at around 3% of GDP, a weight comparable to that of the national education budget. At the family and community level, the losses are immense and often irreversible. For example, triple negative breast cancer, which most frequently affects young women up to 50 years old, annually generates over 46,000 potential years of life lost in Romania. It must be emphasised once again that, given their added value in terms of clinical results and patient quality of life, adequate funding of innovative treatments should not be perceived as an expense, but as an investment in the health, well-being, and future of Romanian society.

Goals for 2024:

Continue advancing health equity through partnerships to help patients navigate cancer care in order to improve cancer outcomes in Romania
Foster a diverse and inclusive workplace that values and respect employees differences
Strengthen MSD Romania’s market position while making a positive social impact on the community