METHOD OF HEMODIALYSIS USED

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
15 Sept 04

The new service included in the NKR health care service can be
considered a victory, in fact. This was the evaluation of the minister
of health of the republic Zoya Lazarian she gave on the occasion of
installing the machine of hemodialysis at the republic hospital. Before
the acquirement of the equipment the patients were sent to Yerevan
which not everyone could afford. Doctor Ararat Ohanjanian working in
the department of reanimation and anesthetics, who will later on do
hemodialysis, said that he knew several patients whose families moved
to Germany or Yerevan for treatment. The thing is that such patients
need medical care through all their lives passing the procedure on
every other day. In other words, the lives of these patients are
dependent on the apparatus. Or they have to transplant a new kidney,
which is very expensive (for example, in Moscow transplantation
of kidney costs 70 thousand US dollars). Hemodialysis is very
expensive. According to doctor Ohanjanian, one time procedure
with disposable medical instruments costs 20 thousand drams which
annually totals 3 million drams. A. Ohanjanian said that on the day
of trying out the equipment with the participation of specialists
from Yerevan a patient who had moved to Yerevan for treatment passed
the first procedure. Learning that the apparatus is now available in
Stepanakert, he is willing to return to Karabakh. Another two patients
passed the procedure, and the results were excellent. NKR minister
of health Zoya Lazarian said that for about two years the Ministry
negotiated with the German firm â^À^ÜFreseniusâ^À^Ý on acquiring
the hemodialysis machine for Artsakh. A year ago the contract was
signed. The firm donated two hemodialysis machines, and the machine
of water filtration, also very expensive, which the ministry will
buy it from the firm in installments. Within the framework of the
program the firm prepared Ararat Ohanjanian in Moscow. The Ministry is
going to send another doctor for qualification to have two brigades
working in the hospital. As to the question how the patients who
cannot afford to pay for treatment, Zoya Lazarian mentioned that in
the world means are provided from the state budget for hemodialysis,
and the patients do not pay for treatment. The Ministry of Health will
apply to the government for providing means from the state budget in
the upcoming year.

SVETLANA KHACHATRIAN. 15-09-2004