Health Minister Meets with French Ambassador in Armenia

The Minister of Health, Anahit Avanesyan, met with Jonathan Lacôte, the Ambassador of France to Armenia, and Raphael Joasin, Director of the French Agency for Development in the South Caucasus, to discuss potential avenues for financial assistance.

Raphael Joasin detailed that the agency invests in five priority sectors in developing countries, with healthcare being a significant focus within this investment program. Considering the agency's proposals, Anahit Avanesyan presented the needs of the Ministry of Health and the areas that require financial support for development.

Specifically, the Minister emphasized the necessity of initiating recovery efforts in the National Center for Infectious Diseases and the National Center for Mental Health, carrying out programs aimed at reducing maternal mortality, modernizing blood services, improving rehabilitative medical services, and addressing other issues.

Avanesyan highlighted that various projects aimed at the development of the healthcare sector commenced in 2019; however, some have remained incomplete due to the circumstances of the coronavirus pandemic.

“We thank the French government for its continued support, and I am pleased that in the near future we will be able to do everything possible to activate working processes in several directions and improve the healthcare system, as we are dealing with a very important and vulnerable sector,” stated Anahit Avanesyan.

Jonathan Lacôte expressed hope that the cooperation on the mentioned directions between the two countries would be effective and that efforts to improve the healthcare sector would continue.