Measures and programmes implemented in healthcare sector in 2023 debated
The policy of increasing the availability of medical care and service, not only in physical terms, but also in financial terms, as well as in the direction of providing the available medical care with high-quality and up-to-date standards, has been continued. According to the Government’s programme, 46 measures were implemented in 2023, 42 of which were fully implemented, 4 – partially. Those 4 measures refer to the insurance package. There is a time lag here. The process is expected to be completed this year.
The report on the process and the results of the 2023 implementation of the RA Government program (2021-2026) was debated at the sitting of the NA Standing Committee on Health Care. The above details were presented by the RA Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan.
In 2023, the volumes of hard-to-reach hospital medical care and services increased within the framework of the state order, namely, 861.845 services were provided.
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There is also a dynamic in the provision of medical care for cardiovascular diseases.
The Minister Anahit Avanesyan stated that the total volumes of transplantations have increased, we have reached the target goals.
It was noted that good indicators were recorded in the direction of maternal and child health care, also in terms of maternal mortality reduction.
The Minster presented the construction and the reconstruction works of medical centers and hospitals in the republic.
Steps in the area of access to medicine are presented. It was noted that the measures to fight against infectious diseases were continued, and the measures regarding healthy lifestyle were expanded.
During the Q&A session, the availability of medicine, the organization of the procurement process in the field, the assessment of the causes of child mortality, the mechanisms of facilitating the importation of medicine, the expediency of switching to electronic prescription and other issues were debated.
According to the Minister’s explanation, it was found out that the process of issuing a prescription in paper version takes 10-12 minutes, and in electronic version – 1-3 minutes, depending on the computer skills of the given specialist. According to her, digitalization helps to reduce working time and have more accurate data.
The Committee Chair Narek Zeynalyan, speaking about the importance of the efficiency of the work of the primary healthcare provider, opined that the volumes of hospital medical care should decrease due to the development of the primary healthcare provider. Turning to the complaints regarding the availability of medicine, the MP noted that there is no need to change the Law on Purchases, but certain standards can be recorded in the technical specifications, not only the price of the medicine, but also the quality should be taken into consideration in the procurement process. According to him, there is a necessity for additional research in this area.
The Minister Anahit Avanesyan presented clarifications regarding a number of questions of the deputies.
The report was taken as a note.
National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia
