Tuesday, 1 March 2016
RA Prime Minister: “Government Increases Healthcare Funding Every Year”
Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan attended the opening of an international ministerial conference entitled “New threats to public health.” Welcoming the guests, the Prime Minister noted that the preservation of public health is a priority objective to the government of any country, regardless of the level of economic development.
“Declaring public health as a priority, the Government of Armenia embarked upon a number of projects for the preservation of public health. These programs meet the “Health 2020” policy of comprehensive approaches under the aegis of the UN World Health Organization. I am confident that the forum will be introduced to successful public health programs implemented in our country. However, I would like to address some of them.
The National Immunization Program, HIV / AIDS and other effective measures in the fight against tuberculosis have always been highly appreciated by international organizations, including the World Health Organization.
Mandatory iodization of salt is also a successful project, which significantly reduced the health problems caused by iodine deficiency among the population. Under the World Bank and Government-supported Disease Prevention and Control program, 50-60 percent of the vulnerable groups will be benefiting from a joint screening program against 3 most common non-communicable diseases for prevention and early detection within three years. Note that such screening programs have never been implemented in independent Armenia.”
In the Prime Minister’s worlds, the holding of the international conference proves that medicine knows no borders, and the need to join efforts for the preservation of health. Hovik Abrahamyan noted that the overall level of the economy is secured by a healthy population, and this is confirmed by the WHO’s view that investment needs to go toward the citizens’ health and not the sector itself.
"That is the main reason that we are increasing funding within the possibilities of our country. I hope that the conference will focus on current issues and challenges in public health, clarify positions and approaches to overcome them. As Armenia’s Prime Minister, I welcome your willingness to make a joint statement. I am confident that the document will have a major role in maintaining the health of people in our countries, and therefore improving important health indicators,” Hovik Abrahamyan concluded.
Due on March 1-2 in Yerevan, the “New threats to public health” international ministerial conference involves the Ministers of Health of Russia, Iran, Georgia and Belarus, Kazakhstan’s Deputy Minister of Health, the Head of Department of the WHO European Office, as well as other representatives of the health sector.
The forum will focus on the discussion of public health issues and develop common approaches for their solution, identify challenges in this area, bring closer the positions of individual countries, and issue a joint statement. The forum will help outline and jointly develop public health strengthening and disease prevention-oriented programs to focus on the fight against behavioral risk factors.
