"Get Married, It Will Pass": Karen Sarukhanyan to Sofya Hovsepiyan

The advisor to the Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan, Ashot Sargsyan, made a post on his Facebook page criticizing the statement by Sofya Hovsepiyan, a member of the "My Step" faction, that the ministry has adopted a practice of closing hospitals.

“Ms. Sofya Hovsepiyan, when you were still vice-governor, you could have dealt with the personnel policy of doctors, you could have filled the specialists in the maternity hospital of Maralik, and thanks to them, births would increase, and naturally, salaries would rise as well. You knew about such a problem in advance; you should have acted. After all, the maternity hospital falls under the jurisdiction of the regional administration, which has a healthcare department. There is a cause and an effect. The problem that has arisen today is also a consequence of what you have not done,” Ashot Sargsyan stated.

Sofya Hovsepiyan responded to the post, specifically stating: “Yes, you are right—I have dealt with it, but now since it's open, let me speak openly. 18 employees were given notice that they must be released so that funds could be allocated, as the positions were inflated. Two months later, when the order for their dismissal was supposed to occur, the acting governor halted it because, according to the director’s assurance, the son of one of those being dismissed, whose mother was the oldest, had called the governor, and the process was stopped. The governor suggested at least keeping that one, while the others would be laid off, but the director did not comply; he kept all of them, even though I urged that this continuation of a disgraceful phenomenon was necessary, I demanded the dismissal of everyone, and a clash arose. I have presented the issue to both the minister and several others. The institution went about 1 million in the minus monthly because of this, but the director did not dismiss due to the governor’s instruction. As a result, my and the governor’s relations became strained. After that, I was elected and came to the National Assembly. I have applied several times to the minister’s advisors and the deputy minister regarding the same issue, but the call of the military guy held more weight. This is the result. My last appeal to the director was a month ago; he said he would discuss it, and the result of the discussion was the closure of the maternity hospital, and all employees will confirm this, as it was also preserved at that time with my efforts.”

Under the same post, Karen Sarukhanyan, the former governor of Shirak province and now a member of the "My Step" faction, responded to Sofya Hovsepiyan.

“Since Sofya Hovsepiyan mentioned the former governor and claimed that I had given an instruction not to dismiss 18 people, I find it necessary to provide some clarifications regarding that,” Sarukhanyan said. “As much as Sofya has coordinated the healthcare and education sectors, to my surprise, it turns out that she was unaware of the financial situation of the institution she was coordinating and is trying to disseminate disinformation, which I emphasize is absolutely unfounded and characteristic of creative genre. Yes, I have served in Shirak province as governor since June 1, 2018, during quite a difficult phase—post-revolutionary. The director of the maternity hospital in Maralik, whom I appointed as acting director (on Sofya Hovsepiyan’s recommendation as the coordinating sector), approached me just one month after my appointment, when he did not have a complete understanding of the operations of the hospital. He stated that he wanted to dismiss 18 elderly employees and made this request at a time when the situation in Maralik was tense, with people blocking streets demanding the resignation of the community leader. I prioritized maintaining peace in the area and did not allow excessive tensions. Yes, I did not find the dismissals advisable and as a supervisor advised the acting director to refrain from dismissals because he was still acting (let me note that he has been acting for over a year, as he participated in contests and was not released). Besides, I founded my stance on the results of a financial audit conducted by the provincial administration that clearly stated the financial difficulties of the institution were not caused by the presence of these employees, but rather by the workings of the maternity hospital, dependent on the reduction of birth rates. Sofya Hovsepiyan can familiarize herself with these facts. And as far as I am concerned that I acted on the call of someone or for someone, then Sofya is simply lying; I have never been guided by anyone's call in the decision-making process, and I have never favored anyone. That's all, sorry for the length, and I won't continue here. Everything written is subject to proof. And I will give Sofya two pieces of advice: 1. Respect your status and henceforth speak not in the language of gossip but with facts and evidence. 2. Get married—it will pass)))”