A Large Protest is Brewing in Ashtarak: The Family Doctor Director of the Outpatient Clinic Has Been Replaced by a Kindergarten Teacher

On February 1, the mayor of the enlarged community informed the directors of the 8 outpatient clinics that they could no longer serve as directors. The issue is that the directors are the same family doctors. The Ashtarak municipal administration considers this a violation of the law. The directors have been dismissed from their positions and temporary appointees have been designated. This was reported by 168.am.

Following this decision, the directors appealed to the "Health Rights" NGO regarding the violation of their rights. "We explained for a long time to the head of the municipality's staff that they had made a legislative error, but they were adamant. We have submitted a letter to the Health and Labor Inspectorate regarding the issue. Hearings on this matter are still ongoing there. The final hearing should be tomorrow, but not waiting for the inspectorate's decision, the head of the Ashtarak municipal staff and several others went to the Parpi outpatient clinic and informed director Ophelia Mkrtchyan that she was already dismissed from her job," said Anush Poghosyan, co-founder of the "Health Rights" NGO.

According to her, under the law on "Medical Aid and Service," the directors of rural outpatient clinics should be appointed by the municipality based on legislation established by the Ministry of Health, which permits family doctors to be directors according to the relevant regulations. "The municipality is citing the law on state non-profit organizations, but that law clearly states that it is based on other legislative regulations, including, among others, the law on 'Medical Aid and Service.' Thus, there is no legislative gap, and almost all rural outpatient clinics in Armenia are managed by family doctors," stated the legal advocate.

When asked whether the newly appointed director is also a doctor, Anush Poghosyan noted that according to their information, the individual previously worked as an educator in the Parpi kindergarten. "In other words, the appointed person has no medical professional education, which is a serious violation. Only a pediatrician, family doctor, or therapist may hold the position of director in rural outpatient clinics," said Anush Poghosyan.

According to her, they started with the Parpi outpatient clinic and presumably, the process will continue. 168.am also spoke with Ophelia Mkrtchyan, the dismissed director of the Parpi outpatient clinic. "We are very grateful to Anush Poghosyan and Tsaghik Vardanyan. They stood behind us, wrote letters, organized meetings," said the doctor, adding that she has been working as the director of the Parpi medical outpatient clinic since 1978 and also worked as a doctor until today. "I laid the foundation for family medicine there. I was trained for a year under the World Bank program, I was among the first in the field of family medicine. And I have a significant contribution in the construction of the outpatient clinic building. That building was constructed on a public basis, thanks to my persistent efforts, because previously the area was rented. In the 1980s, with the help of the deceased chairman of the village council, Nshan Harutyunyan, and the efforts of the residents of Parpi, the outpatient clinic building was constructed. No state funding was allocated for that building. Now they want to remove me from that building as well," said Ophelia Mkrtchyan in an interview with the media.

According to her, the building was later renovated and furnished through a program by the Social Investment Fund with the help of benefactors. "We worked very well; until now, we had absolutely no problems until the amalgamation. After the amalgamation of communities, I and the directors of 7 other outpatient clinics were called and told that we would be dismissed from our positions. Moreover, there is a case where the director is also the only doctor," said Ophelia Mkrtchyan. She noted that there is a high demand for family doctors, and now those that exist are also being dismissed from their jobs.

Ophelia Mkrtchyan pointed out that the institution of family doctors has been established exclusively in rural communities, because in villages where there are issues with various specialists, family doctors perform various functions. "I have been working for quite a long time. The problem is not with me. Moreover, I had found a young staff member, I had convinced them to come to the village and work in my place, just as I came from Yerevan in the past, but they probably had another candidate," said the director of the Parpi outpatient clinic.

Ophelia Mkrtchyan also mentioned that the person appointed as director of the outpatient clinic in her place had previously worked as an educator in a kindergarten. "They entered my office with five people yesterday and told me that I no longer work here, and a new person has been appointed instead of me," said the doctor.

When asked how many patients the Parpi outpatient clinic receives daily, the former director replied that in two months, according to their submitted report, they had 700 visitors. "We do not receive funding from the Ashtarak municipality. Family doctors gather patients, and the state provides funding based on the number of patients served. Salaries are also determined according to coefficients," Ophelia Mkrtchyan stated.

According to the former director of the Parpi outpatient clinic, the response from the Ministry of Health is adequate. "The ministry said that family doctors can also be directors, and this does not contradict the law, as asserted by the Ashtarak municipality. Now why are they doing this? Were they dissatisfied with my work? Let them ask the community. I repeat, we had no problems until the moment the communities were amalgamated. Perhaps the mayor of Ashtarak, Tovmas Shahverdyan, thought that there were something going on here which led him to want to appoint his own person," said Ophelia Mkrtchyan. The doctor added that they have also been to the National Assembly (NA). "The chairman of the standing committee on health issues, Narek Zeynaleyan, said that it is true, the law needs to be amended, but in its current form, even that law should work not against you but in your favor, go and work calmly," said Ophelia Mkrtchyan, adding that for some reason, this issue has only arisen in the Ashtarak community.

Auroranews.am has submitted written queries to the spokesperson of the Ashtarak city administration regarding the problematic issues that have arisen, specifically, why an educator has been appointed instead of a family doctor, what prompted the haste to replace Ophelia Mkrtchyan, and to what extent their actions fall within the legal framework. We will present the responses to the questions as soon as received.