ArmInfo.In 2019, the healthcare sector will receive 88.6 billion drams from the state budget, Acting Minister of Healthcare RA Arsen Torosyan announced at the parliamentary hearings on the draft basic economic law of the country.
According to him, the funds will be allocated for the implementation of programs in the field of primary health care, public medical care, maintaining the health of the mother and child. Within the framework of the program, it is planned to apply new mechanisms in the primary health care system, to expand the fight against smoking, to intensify laboratory research. In general, as noted by Minister, the health sector has faced many problems that require a systemic solution. First of all, the state order system will be regulated.
At the beginning of the year, an agreement will be concluded with clinics in the country. Related to a number of diseases, allocations will be reduced, while on the others, on the contrary, will be increased. Arsen Torosyan continued that the agreements might be concluded not for one year, as it is practiced now, but for several years. At the same time, the determining factor in the provision of public funds will be considered the number of population, the quantity and quality of serving patients in medical centers. In this regard, state budget funds will be redistributed to regional hospitals, so that patients do not come to the capital. At the same time, the acting stated that the state order system bears certain risks concerning, first of all, the shadow turnover. Currently, 80% of payments for medical services are made in cash, and only 20% by bank transfer. In order to get the system out of the shadow, it is stipulated that most of the funds under the state order will be received by those clinics that will provide services by bank transfer. Arsen Torosyan also informed that structural changes are taking place in the healthcare system. In particular, due to the absence of people with tuberculosis, there was no need to maintain a number of clinics. Instead, there will be separate rooms in medical centers. The situation among HIV-infected people is also stabilizing, which also led to structural changes. It is envisaged to privatize the venereal skin clinic in Yerevan. The development of a new draft law on combating smoking has begun, providing for an increase in prices for tobacco products, introduction of restrictions on cigarette advertising, and the use of higher tax rates. In order to promote a healthy lifestyle, the state budget will allocate 100 million drams, which, mainly, will be directed to notifying the population about the dangers of tobacco, holding thematic competitions and other events. "Today clinics are interested in having more patients, and the state is interested in a healthy society," Arsen Torosyan said.
He also said that from next year the salaries of health care workers will be increased. In particular, the salary of doctors from 178 thousand drams will increase to 240 thousand drams, the salary of paramedical staff from 80 thousand drams will be increased to 120 thousand drams, and the nusing staff - from 80 thousand drams to 100 thousand drams.