Ombudsman Awaits Response on Medical Assistance Denial to Intoxicated Individuals

On February 3 of this year, two citizens were taken to the hospital by ambulance but were not hospitalized. The official justification was the influence of alcohol. Meanwhile, the Human Rights Defender, instead of providing a legal assessment, is limited to sending letters. This was reported by the newspaper Joghourd.

In response to an inquiry, the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia stated that the incident recorded at the Armenia Medical Center in Yerevan has been examined following our application. However, the fact of intoxication alone cannot serve as a legal basis for refusing medical assistance, especially in the case of transportation by ambulance.

The Ombudsman's Office has stated that a clarification has been requested from the medical center, and the information received has been acknowledged, along with a letter sent to the Ministry of Health of Armenia regarding this issue. The ministry's response is now awaited.

Thus, the Ombudsman’s reaction at this stage has been limited to correspondence. However, there is still no clear position on whether the right to health protection or the accessibility of emergency medical assistance has been violated, or whether there is discrimination involved.

It has been recorded that individuals who consumed alcohol were not provided hospital medical assistance. The Ombudsman's institution, which is meant to stand as a neutral guarantor of human rights protection, is currently limited to mediated communication. Yet, public expectation from the Ombudsman is certainly not merely correspondence,” the newspaper writes.