Healthcare Management During Martial Law to Be Reserved for the Ministry

The draft law on making amendments to the law on the legal regime of martial law is the latest issue being discussed in the National Assembly, presented by Deputy Minister of Health Levon Hakobyan.

He stated that the adoption of the law is necessary for creating a unified management system for healthcare in conditions of martial law and effectively addressing emerging issues. He pointed out that since the 1990s, the process of privatization of healthcare facilities providing medical assistance has led to the privatization of the healthcare system, while in the years of independence, the decentralization of the primary healthcare system has resulted in the delegation of powers to local governments.

As a result, the following situation has emerged: Currently, there are 125 hospital organizations operating in Armenia, 51 in Yerevan, and 74 in the regions, with 68 under regional jurisdiction, 36 private, and 7 subordinate to other departments.

There are 360 facilities providing primary health services, including 86 polyclinics and 268 rural health facilities. Private hospital institutions serve 32 percent of the country’s bed capacity, with the majority being large multi-functional hospitals that concentrate a significant portion of the healthcare system's human resources.

“Therefore, their activities will play a role under martial law conditions. Only 17 organizations providing hospital care and one facility offering primary health services operate under the Ministry of Health. This is justified in peacetime, but in the event of an armed attack on Armenia or the declaration of war, the need for a unified management of the healthcare system will arise,” said the Deputy Minister of Health.

He also noted that according to the government's decision, a list of pharmaceutical manufacturers with mobilization tasks has been established, but the assignment has not yet been defined by any legislative act. This gap will be filled by the project, thus: “It is proposed to create a unified healthcare system in conditions of martial law, transferring management powers of organizations providing medical assistance and services, regardless of ownership form, to the authorized body of state management in the healthcare sector of Armenia,” said Levon Hakobyan.