Charges for Treatment of Children Under 7 Are Unacceptable: Arsen Torosyan

Treatment for children under the age of 7 in hospitals is free, and no charges should be applied by the hospital. This was stated today by the Health Minister of Armenia, Arsen Torosyan, during a conversation with journalists, addressing complaints received from citizens that pediatric care is being charged.

"We need to understand that these illegal payments are not only a health care issue but also a tax administration problem. They are, in fact, illegal income and can be viewed as extortion. In response to such alerts, we are contacting law enforcement to ensure a legal assessment is made, and we are also directly working with the administrations of hospitals to ensure that such phenomena are eliminated in their operations," Torosyan stated.

Torosyan reiterated that the funds provided by the state for pediatric care are significantly higher than those for adults, therefore, such cases should be eliminated in pediatric care. "Once again, I emphasize that charging for treatment for children under 7 is unacceptable and must be stopped at all costs," the minister concluded.