Incident at ‘Saint Grigor Lusavorich’ Medical Center Concludes Meeting

The newspaper ‘Hraparak’ reports that the situation at the ‘Saint Grigor Lusavorich’ Medical Center has de-escalated. Two days ago, it was reported that dissatisfaction had arisen among the medical staff following the decree to allocate the hospital for coronavirus patients.

Some staff members are being converted to half-time positions or offered to take vacations, and all planned surgeries have been postponed. The medical personnel is uncertain about their future. Furthermore, a meeting convened on this issue concluded with an incident, including an altercation.

The reason, according to director Hovakimyan, is that some doctors refuse to work under emergency conditions, including self-isolation, refraining from going home, staying in a hotel, and so on.

Yesterday, it was learned that tensions seem to have eased; some healthcare workers who had previously been unwilling to work under dangerous conditions and submitted vacation requests have come back to withdraw those requests, totaling about 40-45 people. Additionally, 30-35 individuals took vacations due to having elderly parents or children at home and are unable to be absent for extended periods.

The medical center also sent vacation notices to 60+ staff members and those with chronic illnesses. As of yesterday, there were 46 patients with coronavirus in the facility. “Everyone is breathing on their own; there are no patients on artificial respiration, unconscious, or in critical condition,” stated the spokesperson.

Medical services are being provided by the hospital’s staff. “We have only invited one infectious disease specialist from Norq to provide consultations during the first half of the day and then left,” they added.