VIDEO: We Cannot Force People to Marry or Have Children, Says Prime Minister to Anahit Avanesyan

The Armenian government will allocate an additional 500 million AMD to the Ministry of Health for the reproductive health program. This was announced by the Minister of Health, Anahit Avanesyan, during a cabinet meeting.

It is noteworthy that the program aimed at overcoming infertility in Armenia started in 2019 and is being implemented within the framework of the state order, making expensive services related to reproductive assisted technologies more accessible to the population.

Avanesyan emphasized that considering the significant demand from the population, the program is periodically reviewed, and as a result of changes made, residents from 194 border communities will now have the opportunity to participate in the program, instead of the previous 8 communities.

The latest revision also considered the consequences of the 44-day war, and as a result, parents of soldiers who died in the conflict have become beneficiaries of the program. A program for surrogate mothers has also been launched for them. The number of children born during the program's implementation accounts for 31.6%. This meets the average indicators in developed countries.

"In January, the reproductive health program was transformed. Beneficiaries now include childless women under 36 years old who have faced infertility for over 2 years, as well as women aged 36-42 from border communities who are having difficulties having a second child. In the first seven months of 2023, 2876 beneficiaries have been served and are at various stages of treatment. A total of 301 pregnancies have been recorded, and 57 children have been born, 9 of whom are from families of fallen soldiers. The number of pregnancies in the first seven months of this year is nearly double that of the entire year of 2022," said Avanesyan.

She emphasized that the Ministry of Health is working hard to increase the program's accessibility, and centers initiating the first phase will soon open in regional cities. The program will begin in Gyumri and will subsequently be implemented in Vanadzor and Goris.

In turn, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan clarified that any woman under 36 can become a beneficiary of the program and access reproductive healthcare, regardless of marital status. He suggested further expanding the program and removing all age restrictions.

In response, Avanesyan noted that the Ministry of Health plans to expand the program and remove age restrictions, but only after discussions with expert circles.

Pashinyan also presented the birth statistics for the first seven months of this year, stating that 540 more children have been born this year than in all of 2022. He also mentioned that according to the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, the first half of this year saw the lowest mortality rate recorded in the last 20 years for the same period.