Military Personnel's Medical Examinations Must Be Prioritized and Laws Amended, Ombudsman

Unlike the military registration process, mandatory military service call-ups, including mobilization draft calls, contract military service, and training assemblies, the law does not guarantee priority medical assistance and services for military personnel during their service. This is stated in the annual report of the Human Rights Defender.

"The issue has emerged from visits to military hospitals, discussions of complaints, and legislative reviews. In other words, medical assistance and care for service members, including examinations, are carried out on a general basis. As a result, examinations for military personnel are practically delayed, which leads to prolonged stays in military hospitals. Meanwhile, considering the characteristics of military service and the necessity for them to be quickly engaged in fulfilling their military duties, medical examinations for military personnel must be conducted with priority and within tight deadlines.

The issue is also compounded by the fact that certain examinations (for example, MRI, transesophageal echocardiography, electromyography) are generally carried out mostly in civilian healthcare facilities due to objective reasons. The issue has been discussed with the Ministries of Defense and Health. They clarified that within the framework of cooperation between them, maximum efforts are being made to organize necessary examinations and medical interventions for service members without a waiting list. They also noted that to address the issue, a modification was made in December 2019 by government decree, whereby medical services are now provided under the principle of unlimited budgetary support for contractual amounts. As a result, a post-payment compensation principle applies for the services provided by medical organizations, which aims to minimize waiting lists and unnecessary delays in service delivery.

According to the Human Rights Defender's assessment, the measures taken are necessary but still insufficient to fundamentally resolve the issue. Therefore, to achieve a systematic solution, it is essential to enshrine the right of military personnel to priority medical assistance and care at the legislative level.

It is proposed that:
1. The Law of the Republic of Armenia on “Military Service and the Status of Military Personnel” should be amended to stipulate that during military service, the examination, evaluation, and treatment of military personnel are carried out on a priority and free-of-charge basis within the framework of state-guaranteed medical assistance and services.
2. Until the relevant legislative amendment, practical measures should be taken to carry out necessary medical examinations for military personnel within the shortest possible time frame,” the Ombudsman’s annual report states.