Amount Needed for the Prosthetics and Treatment of Injured Soldiers to Be Invested

The Armenia All-Armenian Fund has launched a prosthetics and rehabilitation program for wounded soldiers from the 44-day war, which is being implemented through the Fund's global partners and donors.

As part of the program, the Fund is collaborating with the Homeland Defender’s Rehabilitation Center, which specializes in the effective organization of rehabilitation treatment for people with disabilities, conducted by experienced professionals.

In this phase of the program, a state-of-the-art prosthetics laboratory has already been brought to Armenia, produced in the Netherlands. A special specialist will also be sent to the Homeland Defender's Center to train Armenian doctors. At the first stage, 100 prosthetics will be sent to Armenia, enabling the Center to accept and serve more soldiers.

According to Haikak Arshamyan, the director of the Armenia All-Armenian Fund, the support programs and initiatives for injured soldiers are currently key points and priorities in the Fund's activities. "Our initiative to provide our soldiers with quality prosthetics started even before the war. After the war began, realizing that we would have new injured and soldiers who needed prosthetics, the Fund began negotiations with foreign organizations to meet the needs of the disabled with the latest technologies and means. We are ready to invest as much money as necessary to ensure that our wounded soldiers return to a full life as soon as possible," stated Arshamyan, adding that many individuals and organizations have continued to make donations to the Fund for the rehabilitation treatment of injured soldiers, both before and after the war.

Another similar fundraising event will take place on January 23, initiated by the metal-rock band System of A Down. Part of the collected funds will be aimed at purchasing functional and high-quality 30 prosthetics for hands.

Haikouhi Minasyan, president of the NGO "Support for Wounded Soldiers and Disabled Veterans," noted, "The Homeland Defender’s Center is equipped with cutting-edge technologies and devices that are even absent in leading laboratories around the world. Now, through cooperation with the Armenia All-Armenian Fund, we will receive quality and functional prosthetics, which will allow us to implement the prosthetics and rehabilitation treatment of our soldiers at the highest level."

20-year-old Alen Artemyan, who was injured in a rocket bombardment on September 29 and lost his right arm, has one goal after returning to a full life: "The treatment process goes through phases. I am eagerly waiting for my prosthetics so I can return to my routine and continue my studies at the State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports of Armenia. By profession, I am a physiotherapist and I have a great desire to work at this center in the future, at the Soldier's Home."

Dr. Lusine Poghosyan, the chief rehabilitation doctor of the Center, also stated that the program will make the rehabilitation process of the injured more efficient. "The prosthetic process includes several phases: preparation, the actual prosthetics fitting, and the corresponding rehabilitation treatment. It is much more effective when the entire process is carried out in the same place. The most important issue that we will solve with this program is the reduction of the rehabilitation phase duration."

It should be noted that the local branch of the Armenia All-Armenian Fund in the Netherlands has provided significant support for the implementation of the program. In this phase of the program, the Armenia All-Armenian Fund has allocated $1.5 million for the prosthetics and rehabilitation treatment of wounded soldiers from the war.