Health Ministry Denies Claims of Depleted State Order Budget

The Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia has refuted reports in the media suggesting that the budget allocated for state-funded medical services has been exhausted. Today, the newspaper "Zhoghovurd" reported that the Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan's declared "offert" has "failed." It emphasized that only three months into the year, the budget designated for state order services has been over-executed and depleted.

“Such a thing does not exist. If you have the name of a medical institution, please provide it," said Mariam Tsatryan, the spokesperson for the Ministry of Health, in an interview with Sputnik Armenia.

She highlighted that under the decision No. 2344-N of the Government of Armenia dated December 28, 2023, starting January 1 of this year, the principle of unlimited contractual funding (offert) is being implemented experimentally for 43 events/sub-events, with 2 of them—"Outpatient Difficult-to-Access Diagnostic Tests for Ages 18 and Over - 1306" and "Rehabilitative Medical Assistance - 1327"—being carried out based on a queuing system starting April 17, as established by the ``Ardmed`` application and approved by the Minister of Health.

“Medical assistance and services provided within the framework of the state order will continue to be rendered under the principle of unlimited contractual funding (offert) for the remaining 41 events/sub-events,” she added.

According to media reports, some hospitals have informed patients, using the ministry's circular, that the state order has ended. For instance, a few days ago, one hospital informed an elderly patient with a disability that the state order had finished and that approximately 2.5 million drams were needed for hip joint endoprosthesis. Naturally, the patient's relatives covered the payment.

It is worth mentioning that changes made in the state order process have been in effect since January 1. The Ministry of Health operates under an annual budget within which funding is conducted according to the principles of the offert. Queuing systems are implemented not based on each medical center's budget but within the scope of the budget allocated for the overall plan available throughout the republic.