Project Celebrates Primary Health Care Achievements in Armenia’s North
On June 6, 2008, the USAID/Armenia Primary Healthcare Reform Project (PHCR) held a ceremony marking the completion of the project’s activities in the Lori and Shirak regions of northern Armenia. Over 100 people attended the event, including Minister of Health Harutyun Kushkyan and USAID/Armenia Mission Director Robin Phillips.
“One of USAID’s objectives in Armenia is to support the Government of Armenia’s efforts in healthcare reform to ensure that the country’s health systems are effective, efficient, and equitable for all citizens,” Phillips noted at the opening. “For many years, USAID has supported primary healthcare reform because we believe that ethical, patient-focused, and clinically- and managerially skilled healthcare professionals that operate in an open and transparent manner are vital to the wellbeing of Armenian citizens and, more broadly, to Armenia’s development.”
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| Armenian Health Minister Harutyun Kushkyan presents certificates of appreciation to 40 community mayors from Lori and Shirak for their contributions to the project’s success in the two regions. |
The five-year USAID PHCR Project supports the Government of Armenia in introducing primary healthcare reforms and targets increased utilization of sustainable, high-quality primary healthcare services in Armenia. From 2006 to 2007, the Project worked throughout Lori and Shirak in 2006-2007, supporting improvements in the primary healthcare system with an emphasis reaching remote rural areas. At the June 6 ceremony, PHCR Chief of Party Richard Yoder enumerated project accomplishments in the two regions, such as staff training and health facility upgrades. He also lauded ongoing national-level primary healthcare reforms, including the introduction of an “Open Enrollment” system, which establishes the right for patients to select the healthcare provider of their choice.
“The key direction of the Republic of Armenia’s healthcare policy has been and is to ensure healthcare accessibility for all citizens, especially socially vulnerable groups, and to foster social equity and equality,” stated Minister Kushkyan. He highlighted PHCR’s successful collaboration with the Ministry of Health, which has resulted in the development and introduction of a number of new regulations, standards, and effective and up-to-date funding mechanisms for the country’s health system.
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