In Artsakh, 31.5 Billion Drams Allocated for Social Protection in 2021, 4.4 Billion More than 2020: Tandilyan

On January 20, a joint meeting of the permanent committees on social and healthcare issues and financial-budgets and economic management of the Artsakh National Assembly took place under the chairmanship of Aram Grigoryan and Arthur Harutyunyan.

The discussions focused on the budget bill for 2021, specifically on social security, benefits, salaries of budget sector employees, and healthcare system financing.

Presenting the expenditures in the field of social protection, Minister of Labor, Social Affairs and Migration Mane Tandilyan noted that 31.5 billion drams will be allocated for this sector in 2021, which is an increase of 4.4 billion drams compared to 2020.

Speaking about the financing of ongoing programs, the minister also addressed new initiatives for 2021, particularly joint social programs of the Artsakh and Armenian governments conditioned by post-war realities.

“We have made changes to last year’s programs, maintaining flexibility to reallocate resources when necessary, making the program more targeted and timely,” said the minister.

In her remarks, Mane Tandilyan emphasized that the ministry's focus would be particularly directed towards vulnerable groups, and all social assistance would be purposeful and targeted.

Deputies posed questions to the minister regarding the status of non-disabled injured individuals, accumulated allocations, satisfaction with this year’s budget, compensation for residents’ property, annual monetary assistance amounts, housing provision for young people in rural areas, and other topics, to which the minister provided thorough responses.

According to Minister of Health Mikael Hayriyan, the expenses in the sector for 2021 will amount to 8 billion 588 million 200 thousand drams, which is an increase of 1 billion 303 million 200 thousand drams compared to 2020.

The increase in financing is attributed to the rise in salaries for medical workers and partial reimbursements of programs implemented by the ministry, replacing them with full reimbursements.

Deputies raised questions regarding the re-launch of the state program for in-vitro fertilization and the expenses allocated for it, the conditions for implementation of the process, the sharp rise in expenses for patients involved, the possibility of treatment for injured individuals abroad, and other sectoral questions, which were clarified accordingly.

In attendance were the National Assembly president, vice president, other deputies, and government officials.