for the most part, are not correctly diagnosed, do not have the necessary treatment, adequate care and social inclusion. It was also found that family doctors are not well enough prepared to detect in time the symptoms of a rare disease, and late diagnosis of these diseases, leads to severe disability, which subsequently involves additional costs from the State, this phenomenon is one of the causes that increases the infant mortality rate. Most of the time, children are diagnosed with a rare disease, late and abroad, at private clinics abroad, "children with rare genetic diseases are out of the system in the Republic of Moldova", and financial expenses for travel and services diagnosis, in most cases are borne by the family. Respect for the right to life, health and development of children born prematurely was again in the attention of the People's Advocate for Children's Rights during the reported period. In the Report on the observance of children's rights in 2018, this topic was addressed, mentioning the findings and recommendations addressed to public authorities for the recovery of the situation. As in the previous report, the Children's Ombudsman appreciates the efforts of public authorities for the measures taken that have had a positive impact on this segment, however, it indicates some shortcomings notified in the reported year, specifying the low quality of consumables (syringes, intravenous catheters, gastric tubes, sterile handling diapers and sterile field, etc.,) insufficiency of special equipment, including specialized ambulances for transporting children, an acute problem in the case of transporting them from the country to the national medical institution Mother and Child Center in Chisinau. Petitioners - parents, doctors and representatives of the P.A. "Vitae" mentioned that the low level of quality of medical products in hospitals is caused by the public procurement procedure based on the "lowest price" principle. As a result, low-quality products are brought into use and it is not taken into account that the poor quality of these products causes unjustified suffering to young patients. The Children's Ombudsman notes that the issues set out above apply to both premature babies and newborns with health problems. Another aspect analyzed by the People's Advocate for Children's Rights was the consumption by children of alcohol, tobacco products and narcotics, a problem taken from several calls from the Child's Phone (080011116) within the People's Advocate Office. The Children's Ombudsman notes that the policies currently adopted to combat the use of alcohol and tobacco products are ineffective and do not correspond to reality. The number of children consuming narcotics, alcoholic beverages and tobacco products is constantly increasing, and the diversification of harmful products 91