Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR)
Press Office
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Tel: (212) 889-5150; Fax: (212) 889-4849
email: press@farusa.org
web:
blog: farusa.wordpress.com
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Fund for Armenian Relief (FAR) and Yerevan State Medical University
(YSMU) Held Fourth Annual Medical Symposium
Year after year and month after month, the Fund for Armenian Relief
(FAR) helps more and more Armenian physicians enhance their medical
skills, learn about new developments in their field, and essentially
become better doctors through the Continuing Medical Education (CME)
program.
The CME program is helping to change medical care in Armenia through
post-graduate training, which has now served 195 physicians throughout
the country. This instrumental program is a departure from the
antiquated Soviet methods of 20 years ago. Even today, many of
Armenia’s doctors struggle to provide adequate medical care in the
provinces where resources are scarce and equipment is lacking.
To further discuss the benefits of the program as well as some of
today’s most pressing health issues, 155 CME alumni recently gathered
in Yerevan for their fourth annual medical symposium. Such a meeting
is crucial to provincial doctors for whom Internet access and other
communication methods are scarce or, in some cases, completely
unavailable.
CME was started in 2006 by the FAR Fellowship Alumni Association
(FARFAA), a group of physicians who, in the 1990s, studied medical
practices in the United States. They returned to Armenia eager to
spread their knowledge to their colleagues with the hope of making
broad improvements to medical care.
By helping doctors to sharpen their skills and even learn new methods,
CME also restores the trust between doctors and the populations they
serve.
FAR Health Programs Coordinator Doctor Hambardzum Simonyan spoke to
this. `One of the important components of the program is to change the
mentality of the regional population. One or two failures, or an
ineffective case in the health service of regional physicians results
in distrust among people toward the work of their local doctor,’ he
said. `Thus, our purpose is to improve health service quality in
remote regions by equipping the hospitals with highly qualified
professionals and health equipment.’
Every month at least four specialists from the provinces travel to
Yerevan for the month-long training. Participants work with leading
doctors at Yerevan State Medical University (YSMU) and leading
hospitals in the capital city. CME is tailored to the needs of each
provincial doctor and the cost of their training, transportation, and
housing are all covered by FAR.
CME alumni become members of a network, through which they can
continually be in touch with doctors in the capital. In addition,
alumni events, retreats, and gatherings like the recent symposium are
organized several times a year so participants can continue their
professional growth and stay abreast of developments in medicine.
YSMU has replicated the FARFAA model and now accommodates
post-graduate medical training in Armenia. Vice Rector of YSMU Gevorg
Yaghjyan, expressed his happiness at having a continuous flow of
skilled physicians participate in the CME program in the future. YSMU
actively promotes continuing medical education.
After just four years, more Armenians ‘ especially those in rural
regions ‘ are seeing a difference in their medical care because more
and more doctors are armed with new methods of treatment. As the
project grows, so will the face of medical care in Armenia.
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-About FAR-
Since its founding in response to the 1988 earthquake, FAR has served
hundreds of thousands of people through more than 220 relief and development
programs in Armenia and Karabagh. It has channeled more than $265 million in
humanitarian assistance by implementing a wide range of projects including
emergency relief, construction, education, medical aid, and economic
development.
Fund for Armenian Relief
630 Second Avenue, New York, NY 10016
Phone (212) 889-5150
press@farusa.org
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