The Zhoghovurd daily writes:
“The fiasco of introducing comprehensive health insurance in the Republic of Armenia (let us recall that the insurance was supposed to be introduced back in 2023, then in July 2024, and then from January 1, 2025) has not been implemented yet. In addition, unfounded and ineffective “reforms”, endless and deepening problems related to state orders, and growing public dissatisfaction with the healthcare system have caused chaos in the system.
In addition to all this, the Zhoghovurd daily learned that tense relations have developed within the governing group itself in the ministry. Deputy Minister Lena Nanushyan, unlike Avanesyan, is one of the old-timers of the healthcare system (she was the head of a department in the Ministry of Healthcare when the RPA member Derenik Dumanyan was the minister), much more cautious on many issues than Avanesyan.
Lena Nanushyan is gradually conquering the ministry, appointing her close friends to various positions and getting rid of staff who are personally disloyal to her in various ways. Thus, back in 2023, she appointed her friend Inessa Asmangulyan as the head of the Global Fund program coordination group at the Ministry of Health. She also placed another close friend, Seville Abrahamyan, in the same structure with a fairly competitive salary.
The Global Fund is the foundation that implements multimillion-dollar programs in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria. By the way, as a result of the appointment of these ladies, who have never worked in this field before, unable to stand the current situation, many honest professionals who have been working in the group for decades have written resignation letters one after another in the past two years.
Well-informed sources in the ministry claim that the dismissal of the experienced director of the Republican Center for AIDS Prevention, Samvel Grigoryan, and his professional teammates at the beginning of 2020 was not the initiative of Arsen Torosyan, but of Lena Nanushyan. In other words, Lena Nanushyan achieved her goals through the hands of others. The ministry also attributes the dismissal of Artavazd Vanyan from the post of director of the National Center for Disease Control and Prevention and his replacement with Stepan Atoyan to Nanushyan’s factor.
In 2023, another close associate of Nanushyan, Samvel Kharazyan, was appointed to the post of head of the State Health Agency. Samvel Kharazyan had previously worked in the State Health Agency. By the way, Kharazyan was actually appointed instead of one of Avanesyan’s most loyal cadres, Aharon Barseghyan.
By appointing Aharon Barseghyan, a former financier of his mother’s “Arpharmacy” and “Wigmore,” as head of the state healthcare agency and then involving him in the insurance investment process, Avanesyan apparently had long-term goals of later appointing Barseghyan as head of the insurance fund to be created. However, Saturday came earlier than Friday, and Barseghyan, despite Avanesyan’s objections, was forced to resign from his position in the spring of 2024.
There are rumors that Nanushyan is making every effort to deprive Aharon Barseghyan of participation in the insurance investment process, with the aim of later appointing Kharazyan as head of a fund with a capital of several hundred billion drams. It should not be forgotten that such a long-drawn-out process of insurance investment is no less profitable for its investors. Avanesyan seems to have finally understood that Nanushyan and his teammates are waging a "hidden" struggle against him.
Just a few days ago, it became known that the Ministry of Health suddenly, unexpectedly, within one day fundamentally changed the principles of providing state orders for psychiatric hospitals, which would significantly reduce the financing of psychiatric hospitals, causing disastrous consequences for psychiatric institutions that are already in a difficult situation. It turns out that the abrupt change in the financing format for psychiatric hospitals was initiated by the leadership of the state health agency headed by Kharazyan, without informing the minister in detail that as a result, the financing of psychiatric hospitals in particular would significantly decrease.
After the publications in the press, Avanesyan was told by his few “loyalists” that this “reform” could become the last “reform” of his career, after which the latter ordered to return to the previous financing mechanism. We will see how these “internal battles” will end.
The “Zhoghovurd” daily turned to the Ministry of Health, inquiring about these topics. The ministry responded: "The appointment of personnel is carried out by the minister, taking into account the presentation of professional qualities and other characteristics by the deputy minister coordinating the sector. It is enough to reproduce the same gossip every week. I will say the following about insurance: this reform is not a local healthcare reform, but a national one. Therefore, we are preparing for it every day, with all the details and necessary amendments," - the ministry, which is working in conditions of internal instability, told the "Zhoghovurd" daily.
More details in today's issue of the newspaper
