Stop Considering Me as an Oncology Consultant for the Ministry of Health: President of the Armenian Medical Association to Arsen Torosyan

I hereby inform you to stop considering me as an oncology consultant for the Ministry of Health. This was stated by Gevorg Tamamyan, head of the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Center at the Prof. R.H. Yolian Hematological Center, addressing Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan on his Facebook page.

He specifically noted: "The reasons for my decision are numerous, and you are well aware of them, as I have never hidden them. However, the most important reason is that you have never been willing to step out of the theater you created and preferred the superficial comments on Facebook and populist statements over sound reasoning. I regret that you had all the opportunities to effect real change in Armenia's healthcare sector, but chose lies and deception instead, opting to inhabit a space where you could appear the smartest, completely failing to recognize that by filling the sector with envious and petty personnel, you are dismantling it."

“It is truly sad because you have created an image of a just and hardworking person in many people's minds, who constantly cares about their health. However, all of this is far from reality, and people will undoubtedly one day wake up and see that the emperor is naked, that everything was merely a veil, and that your only interests are your narrow personal gains and ratings. I have tried numerous times to bring you into the realm of reality, but to no avail. In my last interview (why through an interview, because you always avoid speaking face-to-face), I once again pointed out issues and urged you to listen carefully even to the harshest criticism, as the sound of applause sometimes deafens a person, to which you chose to respond in your familiar style by fabricating intrigues.”

“For two days, at your own direction, the Ministry of Health has been attempting to contact our best pediatric oncologists, who are also very dear senior friends and mentors to me, proposing to serve as consultants in pediatric oncology for the Ministry of Health. Of course, it was a brilliant calculation, and I would never oppose such a candidate, and you would smoothly rid yourself of your oncology consultant. However, there was one big 'but' – unlike you and many faces that have taken refuge around you, positions and chairs have never mattered to us. And for your information, I have been aware of each of your calls and words. Instead of conveying your desire to me directly, you tried to play the ‘divide and conquer’ principle. Perhaps you had forgotten that when you first proposed that 'position', I declined, believing that there were more deserving candidates in the field. Only later did I agree, naively believing I could contribute positively to the work. However, life showed otherwise...

“And, honestly, I advise you not to enter into a debate, either directly or indirectly; otherwise, I promise that even those who zealously defend and weave praise for you will experience deep disappointment.”

Georg Tamamyan
Head of the Pediatric Oncology and Hematology Center, Prof. R.H. Yolian Hematological Center
Chair of the Department of Pediatric Oncology and Hematology at Yerevan State Medical University
Co-chair of the Working Group on Supportive Care in Pediatric Oncology in Developing Countries
Newly elected chair of the IDEA working group of the American Society of Clinical Oncology
President of the Armenian Medical Association.