Survey: More than half of Armenian citizens negatively refer to  prescription drugs release

ArmInfo.More than half of the citizens of Armenia have a negative attitude to the prescription dispensing of medicines since March 1, 2018. Such are the results of  the poll of the "Gallup International Association" "Short spring exacerbation or who will perform a swan song", presented on April 5 in Yerevan.

The head of the Gallup International Association in Armenia, Aram  Navasardyan, said that the poll was conducted from 22 to 30 March  this year across Armenia, 1120 people took part in it, the error is  3%.  So, only 7.6% of respondents gave a positive estimate of the  release of prescription medications, rather positive 16.2%, rather  negative 22.3%, negative 52%, another 2% found it difficult to  answer.

It is also noteworthy that only 17% of respondents know the list of  medicines that can be purchased under the prescription, 55.2% are  partially familiar, 26.7% are not familiar at all, and 1.2% were at a  loss to answer.

At the same time, 24.7% of respondents are convinced that the  Ministry of Health of Armenia did not inform citizens about this  innovation, 25.8% believe that they did not inform, 35.7% rather  informed, 11.6% - informed, another 2.1% found it difficult to  answer.

Navasardian also believes that this factor is due to the fact that  Armenian Minister of Health Levon Altunyan is not popular with  citizens. On the 5-point scale, he received only 2.5 points of  support, a similar low result also for the Minister of Labor and  Social Affairs Artem Asatryan -2.6 points. At the same time, the most  popular minister is the Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan - 3.7  points, in second place Minister of Defense Vigen Sargsyan and the  head of the Ministry of Emergency Situations David Tonoyan by 3.6  points, in third place Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian - 3.3  points.

Since March 1, 2018, a new order of dispensing medicines has come  into force in Armenia. According to the new initiative, antibiotics,  hormonal and codeine preparations will be taken on the first release  of prescription drugs, from July 1 - injection and antitumor drugs,  and from October 1 - all other drugs included in the prescription  list of the Ministry of Health of Armenia. This initiative of the  Ministry of Health was negatively perceived in the Armenian society.