«Joghvoroud». They Spent, But Don’t Know How Much. Why is the Ministry of Health Concealing Data?

«Joghvoroud» newspaper reports: “On June 11, 2020, the ‘Joghvoroud’ newspaper sent several inquiries to the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia, and yesterday, 30 days after the inquiry, we received a response, but without significant answers.

Firstly, we had tried to find out from the Ministry of Health how much additional compensation and bonuses the healthcare workers (doctors, nurses, ambulance drivers) involved in the fight against the coronavirus have received so far, and how much money has been allocated to hotel managers who accommodated and monitored citizens in quarantine during the pandemic. We also inquired about how much money has been allocated per person for treatment, food, accommodation, etc.

However, 30 days after this inquiry, the Ministry of Health has not been able to provide precise answers to these inquiries and present any figures. In response to these questions, the Ministry of Health mentioned only two figures. They stated that as of June 1, the bonus funds for the prevention and management of the coronavirus had amounted to 687 million 518 thousand drams, and the monthly remuneration for those organizing the isolation process ranged from 150,000 to 300,000 drams. The Ministry did not provide figures for the other questions.

“Regarding the average costs incurred per citizen infected with the coronavirus, I inform you that the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia covers the full maintenance costs of healthcare centers—salaries, utilities, energy expenses, medications, necessary supplies, and ongoing costs. Considering the different bed capacities of re-profiled healthcare centers, available resources, the varying periods of re-profiling, and the accompanying diseases of admitted patients, it does not realistically allow for the establishment of average costs per patient,” the response stated.

No matter how the ministry tries to explain and present the reasons for the absence of figures differently, one fact remains: in response to our inquiry, they did not provide numbers because they do not have them. This means it is unknown how much money has been spent, and regardless of the justifications, this is a classic example of unprofessional management—spending without being able to account for it even after 30 days.

More details can be found in today’s issue of the newspaper.