Tuesday, February 7 2017 12:22

ArmInfo.In 2017 the priorities of the Armenian Health Ministry will be to ensure high quality and affordability of medical services, improve the government-guaranteed mechanisms, introduce international standards in pharmacy and  e-health system, form a medical ombudsman's institution, use the  foreign practices in registering patients, as well as to propagate a  healthy lifestyle, Armenian Health Minister Levon Altunyan said when  discussing the progress report of 2016 and the priorities for 2017.  

As regards the activities under the Health System Modernization  program, Minister Alnunyan said that the Meghri Health Center and 5  rural medical centers have been launched, the construction of the  Sevan Hospital building has started and the Hematology Center after  Prof. Yolyan has been modernized.    

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, in turn, noted that he expects the  Health Ministry staff to carry out a "revolution" in the best sense  of the word. He pointed out that in 2017 the allocations for the  sector will total 85 bln AMD, "but a better result can be gained in  case of low expenditures as well".    

Meanwhile, ArmInfo's sources in the healthcare sector say that by  Minister Levon Altunyan's instruction, the system should fully switch  to transparent bookkeeping within a year. According to those sources,  Altunyan held separate meetings with the heads of all Armenian  medical centers and stressed the need to switch to transparent  bookkeeping within a year, which caused the medical workers'  discontent. The heads of the medical services claimed that in this  case the medical staff's incomes will decline and this will  eventually result in brain drain and growth in medical service  prices. However, the minister insisted on his own demand. Some of the  heads of medical centers even tried to voice their discontent at  higher instances, but they were told that all the prerogatives belong  to Altunyan. The heads of medical centers realize the inevitability  of implementation of the minister's instruction and they are  currently preparing their staff to the new reality, drafting the  relevant documents and elaborating new standards.