I Can't Explain My Emotion: A Symbolic Birth, Says Doctor

Yerevan State Medical University rector Armen Muradyan wrote on his Facebook page: "A symbolic birth – the mother, having experienced the loss of her son, found strength within herself and gave life anew: Emmanuel was born...

One of the touching moments in the work of young doctor Varduhi Vardapetyan, a graduate of YSMU, was a few days ago on January 6, during the birth of Emmanuel Manucharyan, brother of Manvel Manucharyan, who fell during the 44-day Artsakh war. The immortalized Manvel Manucharyan was from the village of Haghartsin in the Tavush region. The birth of the child was eagerly awaited not only by the family but also by the entire village.

The medical team that received the child included Varduhi Vardapetyan, who graduated from the YSMU Faculty of General Medicine in 2009, and then entered clinical residency in obstetrics and gynecology, hosted at the Research Center for Maternal and Child Health Care. Varduhi Vardapetyan now heads the obstetrics and gynecology department of the Ijevan Medical Center.

"The operation went smoothly, there were no issues; it truly felt like a miracle for us. A healthy child was born, weighing 3 kg 700 grams, and 51 cm tall. I can't explain my emotion; the responsibility was enormous, it was a symbolic birth. The mother, having experienced the loss of her son, found strength within herself, and Emmanuel was born," the doctor confessed.

After completing her residency in 2013, Varduhi immediately returned to her hometown of Ijevan to work. "From the very beginning, I decided that I would definitely return to Tavush after finishing university. The medical university is truly a mother university, it has shaped us first as people, provided professional knowledge, skills, and a constant will to act. The professors taught us the importance of advancing medicine at the border and encouraged us, the students, to become participants in that effort," notes the young doctor, who works in Tavush.

She is confident that medicine should equally advance in the regions, leading to the overall improvement of medical science in the republic. "Very complex surgeries, which were not performed here, are now conducted on-site with the help of our partners from various health institutions in Yerevan. Specialists come and assist in performing these surgeries, and they also share their experience by conducting retraining courses," emphasizes Varduhi Vardapetyan.

The young doctor hopes that during her career, the number of births in the region will increase and that more children's cries will be heard along the border."