Budget Allocations for State Orders Have Not Decreased, on the Contrary, They Have Increased: Avanesyan

In order to make upcoming reforms in Armenia's healthcare system a subject of broad discussion, Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan initiated a working meeting with the directors of healthcare facilities across the republic. The Ministry of Health reported this.

Welcoming the attendees, the minister emphasized that discussions with experienced specialists in the field are extremely important for implementing the reforms outlined in the government’s five-year program.

"I believe the approach of finding solutions through the current work discussions and timely identifying issues will help us move forward. Without that, it is difficult to imagine any reform," noted Anahit Avanesyan.

Speaking about the introduction of comprehensive health insurance, Avanesyan mentioned that the summarized concept of health insurance will be presented for public discussion within a month, and its implementation will be a complex process. In particular, the increase in financial resources will be accompanied by extensive reforms in various components of insurance over the coming years, such as the introduction of electronic healthcare, setting quality standards, ongoing monitoring, reviewing the work of supervisory bodies, and implementing licensing and professional development institutes.

"I expect everyone’s support in terms of exchanging ideas, providing an objective assessment of existing issues, and pointing out the tools for the proper implementation of the system," the minister stated.

Anahit Avanesyan emphasized the importance of concentrating state resources to ensure the appropriate distribution of workload among healthcare facilities by strengthening the primary healthcare sector. To this end, the majority of upcoming capital expenditures will be directed towards the complete renovation and re-equipment of regional polyclinics.

The minister also addressed the volume of state orders, noting that the healthcare system has been operating under heavy loads in recent years due to objective reasons. Nevertheless, the budget allocations for state orders have not decreased; on the contrary, they have increased, and this trend will continue.

At the same time, the minister highlighted the need for addressing existing and allocated resources for more effective use.

The directors of healthcare facilities expressed their support for these reforms and shared their suggestions. At the end of the meeting, Anahit Avanesyan promised that such meetings would be held periodically at different stages of the reforms.