ArmInfo. The Minister of Healthcare of Armenia Arsen Torosyan dismissed the head of the Republican Center for the AIDS Prevention Samvel Grigoryan, who categorically disagreed with the position of the minister on the need to unite the Center with the  Infectious Disease Hospital for optimization purpose.  

According to ArmInfo's information, Samvel Grigoryan as a demarche had already  written a resignation letter  in advance and expected that the  Minister of Healthcare would nevertheless "change his mind" and will  not take radical actions.  The employees of the Center expressed  their disagreement with the Ministry of Healthcare and demanded that  the minister rethink his decision. They noted that this decision was  made in the light of the lack of specialized discussions with the  Center staff. This raises particular concern given the fact that in  the republic, besides the Center, there is no other specialized  organization working in the field of treatment and prevention of  AIDS. They believe that there is a danger of losing important,  significant achievements Armenia had recorded in this area. This, in  particular, concerns the prevention of mother-to-child transmission  of HIV, effective control of the epidemic and the quality of HIV  research. We are confident that maintaining the Center as a separate  structure proceeds from the interests of the state, since this  ensures the activity of the most cost-effective and controlled system  that promptly and timely responds to changes in the situation.

Meanwhile, to eliminate the negative consequences of the destruction  of this system will take decades, as well as significant financial  resources.  According to the minister, scientific advances and modern  international approaches in the fight against AIDS indicate that this  issue should be integrated into the national health system. As was  noted, the need for separate institutions dealing with the problem of  AIDS existed about 40 years ago, when the acquired immunodeficiency  syndrome was just detected.  Meanwhile, according to official data of  the same Ministry of Healthcare, from January to December 2019, the  number of people infected with HIV in Armenia increased by 2.10%.   According to official data, in 2018, 429 cases were registered, while  in 2019 – 438 cases, of which 135 are women. However, in recent  years, AIDS is not on the list of registered infectious diseases,  which is the direct result of the work of the Center.  It turns out -  the better you work, the less your work is appreciated, " the  Center's employees state.