YEREVAN’S POLYCLINICS: TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE FREE HEALTHCARE BUT STAY AWAY FROM THE TOILETS – PHOTOS

Ani Hovhannisyan

23:44, January 31, 2015

There are 22 polyclinics in Yerevan where people receive
state-sponsored healthcare for free or at reduced rates. Hetq visited
all the polyclinics in the city to examine the sanitary conditions
of the state institutions offering medical assistance to people.

Photographs were taken so that the sanitary conditions of the
polyclinics could be reviewed. On the map below you can click
the points on the map to learn more about the conditions of every
individual healthcare facility.

Yerevan’s polyclinics fall under the supervision of both the
Yerevan Municipality and the Ministry of Health. The Municipality
is responsible for the overall maintenance of medical buildings,
the quality of medical equipment and staff management. The sanitary
conditions of the polyclinics are controled by the Ministry of Health’s
State Health Inspectorate.

Arshakunyants polyclinic

The photos clearly show that almost none of Yerevan’s polyclinics
maintain the standards defined in the government’s 2013 decision to
establish a prevention board setting the sanitation standards for
public restrooms. Why doesn’t the Ministry of Health State Health
Inspection Board record the sanitation violations of restrooms made
by the polyclinics?

Hetq inquired as to whether violations of sanitation requirements
were recorded in the polyclinics in 2013-2014 and whether there
were polyclinics that were penalized. As stated by the Ministry of
Health, “According to hygienic and epidemic control practices with
the Republic of Armenia, polyclinics are answerable to the Republic
of Armenia Ministry of Health’s State Health Inspectorate.”

In 2013, Polyclinic #8 LLC underwent a thorough inspection, the results
of which determined that violations in the rules of proper sanitation
condition maintenance were committed. The director of the polyclinic
was officially penalized.

In fact, within the last two years only one infraction was cited for
the same situation found in nearly all the polyclinics.

>From the 2013 tax-payer funded budget, 3.67 billion dram was
appropriated to public health services, including hygienic and epidemic
control services.

For 2015-2017, the ministry has forecasted a fixed budget dedicated
to conducting sanitary and anti-epidemic measures as well as poison
and disease control.

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What is the point of appropriating state funds for sanitary measures
when there is no disclosure by the Ministry of Health and violations
of practices are not noted for all institutions?

The Municipality’s Duty

The Yerevan Municipality supervises building renovations, furnishing
upgrades and quality of service in polyclinics that are run by medical
aid companies. In 2014, 165 million dram (US$346,270) was allocated
for healthcare from the city’s budget to realize various programs: 100
million dram ($210K) went to “medical equipment purchases for health
establishments,” 50 million dram ($105K) went to the “reconstruction
of healthcare facilities” and 15 million dram($31.5K) went to “computer
tomography for the population.”

Hetq asked the Yerevan Municipality to reveal how much money was
allocated in 2014 for building renovations and acquiring equipment
for each polyclinic. Polyclinic 15 LLC and Sari Tagh Polyclinic LLC
received new heating systems, while Karmir Blur Polyclinic LLC had
new windows installed, all of which amounted to 41,052,480 dram.

As part of the “medical equipment purchases for health establishments”
program, the Yerevan Municipality acquired 14 pieces of medical
equipment(2 X-ray machines, 5 ultrasound machines with echocardiogram
transducers, 1 Doppler echocardiogram machine, 2 stereo microscopes
and 4 immune-ferment analyzers). The total cost was 75,886,400 dram.

As a result, 24,114,000 dram was left over. . (The 100 million
allocated minus the 75,886,400 expended).

19270002299000028500003480000974200Antituberculosis Dispensary LLCDavit
Anhaght LLCEndocrine Dispensary LLCNork Marash Polyclinic LLCPolyclinic
#1 LLCPolyclinic #13 LLCPolyclinic #15 LLCPolyclinic #17 LLCPolyclinic
#20 LLCPolyclinic #22 LLCPolyclinic #8 LLCPolyclinic #8 LLCScientific
Research Institute of CardiologyX-ray MachineDoppler echocardiogram
machineImmune-ferment AnalyzersStereo MicroscopesUltrasound machines
with 2 scannersX-ray Machine

For the “computed tomography for the population” program, the
municipality acquired a CT scanner at 14,500,000 dram, which was used
by 209 residents through December 10, 2014.

466,535 people visited Yerevan’s polyclinics between September and
December of 2014. They all had the opportunity to free receive medical
aid provided with the new equipment.

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But they had to avoid entering the restrooms. Medical institutions
providing such restroom facilities to their patients are not only
incapable preventing the spread communicable diseases but may also be
actively spreading them.On December 3, 2014 Mayor of Yerevan Taron
Margaryan and Minister of Health Armen Muradyan paid a visit to the
above-mentioned renovated polyclinics to inspect the conditions of
the buildings and have their photos taken for publication on their
official web sites. But they forgot to enter the restrooms.