ARMENIAN SURGEON APPOINTED JUNIOR MINISTER OF HEALTH IN UK

AZG Armenian Daily
04/07/2007

After the appointment of the new cabinet and the larger Government
by Gordon Brown, there is now an Armenian minister in the British
Government. Sir Ara Darzi was appointed as a junior minister of Health.

Sir Darzi is a famous surgeon and he was born in Armenia. Armine
Grigorian, press and public Affairs Officer at British embassy to
Armenia, informed "Azg" about this.

Professor Sir Ara Darzi, who is charged with improving patient
care, has been promoted from his previous role as National Advisor
on surgery.

Sir Ara, chair of surgery at Imperial College London, supports
government plans to reconfigure NHS services.

When he took over as prime minister, Mr Brown said he planned a
broad-based government of "all the talents".

"My working life has, is and will continue to be centred on patient
care,"said Sir Ara Darzi.

But the Conservatives have criticised the appointment, accusing Sir
Ara of having a poor record of supporting access to services for
patients and rubber-stamping the demands of the Department of Health.

In a report published earlier this year Sir Ara said 80% of operations
should be carried out on patients in their local area, with the
remaining complex cases undertaken at specialist centres by highly
skilled surgeons.

Ministers have already embarked on a policy of reconfiguring services
along these lines – leading to controversial decisions about individual
NHS units which have been bitterly opposed by critics.

Sir Ara will combine his ministerial duties with his research and
clinical commitments, including the supervision of students.

Sir Ara, 47, said: "It is a great honour and privilege to be asked
by the Prime Minister to continue that work for patients across
the country.

"I will be working closely with Alan Johnson to map out the next
steps of the reform agenda that has achieved so much in the last 10
years. But we can do better."

He said he would draw on his experience from the frontline to fulfil
his new responsibilities.

"I am not a politician by profession. My working life has, is and
will continue to be centred on patient care."

Sir Ara is internationally respected for his innovative work in the
advancement of minimal invasive surgery and in the development and
use of allied technologies including surgical robots and image-guided
surgery.

Dr Jonathan Fielden, chair of the BMA’s consultants’ committee, said:
"Having a focus on improving patient care is a positive step forward.

"We will be looking forward to him listening to our concerns and
working closely with him to ensure that the concerns of the profession
and the public are utilised to improve patient care."

Mr Bernard Ribeiro, President of the Royal College of Surgeons, said:
"I am delighted that a practising surgeon, who deals with patients
on a regular basis, has decided to take such a high position.

"It is an opportunity for government to engage directly with the
profession."

The prime minister’s spokesman said Professor Darzi would work Monday
to Thursday as a minister – being paid for three days – and continue
to work as an NHS surgeon, unpaid, on Fridays.

Any income from his international private practice will be paid direct
to Imperial College to fund research, the spokesman said.