Hunger Strike Launched After News of Gyumri Home-Internat's Closure

A hunger strike has commenced following the announcement of the impending closure of the Gyumri home-internat. The staff's pleas and appeals have gone unheard. This was reported by asparez.am.

One of the hunger strikers is Sahak Ayvazyan, who has first-degree disability and has been reliant on a wheelchair for a long time. He has been residing in the Gyumri home-internat since October 27, 2012. He expressed strong opposition to the closure of the facility, stating that he cannot conceive of who would take over from his caregivers.

“I don’t want to leave with 72 others; who can I trust? Will they be like my caregivers, or... they take care of me very well, like a mother. I have declared a hunger strike until our issue is resolved, I will go to the end,” he said.

Many other residents of the home-internat have joined Sahak Ayvazyan in the hunger strike.

The official notification regarding the closure of the Gyumri home-internat was received a few days ago from the first deputy minister of the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs of the Republic of Armenia. The letter states: “Considering the provisions related to the process of deinstitutionalization included in the government program, the delegation of services to non-governmental organizations through competitive bidding, and the implementation of alternative community services, the ministry has developed and is circulating the draft government decision on the dissolution of the 'Gyumri Home-Internat Non-Commercial Organization,' according to which it is proposed to dissolve the home-internat and delegate around-the-clock care services for the elderly to a non-state organization.

Therefore, based on the given and in accordance with Article 113, Part 1, Clause 2 of the RA Labor Code, please notify all employees of the institution by the established procedure (RA Labor Code, Article 115, Part 1) regarding possible job terminations or changes in working conditions by October 21 of this year.”

Armen Sarukhanyan was appointed as the interim director of the Gyumri home-internat in June 2019 and stated that in recent months he has heard several remarks regarding the future of the institution during meetings with the deputy minister. “On the first Tuesday of each month, there is a discussion with the deputy minister regarding various issues, and during every discussion, one sentence has been repeated: the first time it was mentioned that there is a program regarding the deinstitutionalization process related to you, the second time it was likely to take place by January 1, and the third piece of information referenced the possibility of cuts. Three sentences over three months, and after each sentence, I took it seriously with the staff; of course, the ministry must decide its policy and direction. At this stage, in our country since after the revolution, it seems a bit incorrect to simply decide how the direction will be from above. It has not happened that there has been a discussion phase, round table, question and answer session, suggestions and grievances have not been heard on this topic from us and the stakeholders - no such process has taken place, there has been no communication with the elderly,” said A. Sarukhanyan.

The home-internat will continue to operate until December 31, 2019. Prior to that, the ministry will announce a competition for delegating around-the-clock care services. The winning organization will address the concerns of the stakeholders.

There are rumors that the Shirak regional branch of the Red Cross has decided to participate in the competition and provide around-the-clock care services, a claim that the elderly also confirm. However, it was not possible to get in touch with the Shirak regional branch of the Red Cross to verify the authenticity of this information.

The Gyumri home-internat provides the same services as Yerevan Number 1 home-internat and Nork home-internat. A pilot program is launching in Gyumri, and by 2024, as part of the deinstitutionalization process, it is planned to transfer the functions of similar institutions to non-state organizations through competitive bidding, while the results of this process remain uncertain.

For full details, refer to the original source.