Things Are Going Very Well: Arsen Torosyan Turns His Wife's Center into a Beneficial Center

According to the newspaper "Zhoghovurd", former Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan, now the head of the government staff, exhibits the same behavior he previously criticized while the revolutionary authorities who constantly speak of an uncompromising fight against corruption are in power.

Accusing the previous authorities of budget embezzlement, Arsen Torosyan has turned the "Mibs" medical center owned by his wife into a preferential center. Here’s how: the same "Mibs" medical center, which did not receive any state order funds in 2017, has become one of the centers receiving the most funds from the state budget after the revolution.

The newspaper "Zhoghovurd" inquired with the Ministry of Health about the amount of money allocated to the "Mibs" medical center for the years 2017, 2018, 2019, and 2020, and on what grounds. We received an official response indicating that in 2017, the medical center actually owned by Arsen Torosyan's wife received 0 drams, but after the revolution, in 2018, it received 25.1 million drams. In 2019, Minister Arsen Torosyan transferred a significantly higher amount from the budget to his wife’s center—98.9 million drams, which is an increase of 73.8 million drams.

Furthermore, in 2020, the medical center owned by Torosyan's wife received 127.6 million drams, which is an increase of 28.7 million drams compared to 2019. The official justification states that the funds were allocated against performances. However, it is evident that the principle of cronyism is at play here, a principle that the current government promised to eliminate from day one but has consistently failed to do so.

They rejected the previous habits of enriching themselves at the budget's expense, yet it turns out that a previously zero-funded medical center has started to enjoy demand thanks to its minister husband, with the number of visitors to the medical center sharply increasing and receiving 127.6 million drams in 2020.