The issue related to free
medical assistance and services as a result of the premature expiration of the
state-ordered services is under the attention of the Human Rights Defender
Yesterday, the proposals
for redistribution of sectoral financial means included in yesterday's session
of the Armenian Government are important, but they are short-term solutions to
the problem.
However, the problem has
a systemic nature.
To exclude such
situations in the future, additional steps are needed to be taken by the state
for the purpose of guaranteeing the guaranteeing of the constitutional right to
health of the people.
One week ago, the Human
Rights Defender of Armenia addressed a letter to the Ministry of Health of
Armenia regarding the expiration of the funds intended for providing free
medical care to people.
In relation to the above-mentioned issue, the
Human rights Defender is also conducting a monitoring of publication in the
media
Private interviews were
held with non-governmental organizations assisting persons with disabilities
and citizens included in special groups. The Office of the Human Rights
Defender has received alarming-calls about the fact that due to the expiration
of the state-ordered service, people are not able to receive free and
preferential medical assistance and service guaranteed by the State; as a
result, human rights are violated.
For example, a person
with a 1st group military-disability had a stroke and was transferred to
various hospitals for the purpose of examinations and medical care. The
hospital refused to provide medical care within the context of the
state-ordered service, reasoning that the fund had been expired; another
hospital stated that the would only provide paid medical care. After a certain
period of time, the health of the mentioned person deteriorated, and there was
a risk that the person would suffer a double stroke; the doctor provided a referral
for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), but it was not possible to carry it out
within the framework of the state-ordered service.
In certain cases, people
have been directed to register to receive examinations or medical care in the
upcoming year. In this case, the examinations are not determined to be urgent
by the doctor, however, they are directly related to the right to health of the
person and might lead to irreversible consequences.
The studies of the Office
of the Huma Rights Defender evidence that the issue is not only related to
inaccessible outpatient examinations, but also to inpatient medical care.
In one of the cases, the
fist surgery of an injured person was conducted within the framework of the
state-ordered service, while the second one could not be performed free of
charge, since the spaces provided by the State were exhausted.
There have been cases
when surgical specialists have provided surgical treatment both for the purpose
of rehabilitation and to prevent further deterioration of health, and referrals
have been provided, but the surgeries were not performed within the framework
of the state-ordered service indefinitely, which makes it impossible to restore
the health of the concerned persons in general.
In another case, a child with
a disability was referred for an inaccessible examination in Yerevan. The child
was transferred from the province to Yerevan for examination, but was unable to
receive free medical care due to the expiration of the state-ordered service.
Cases of the premature
expiration of the state-ordered service have also been registered during
previous years, but, as a rule, this issue arose at the end of the year and not
a whole trimester before. Now, as it has happened before, redistribution of the
financial means has taken place, however, this does not exclude the emergence
of such situations in the future.
This systemic issue has
worsened due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the war.
Therefore, the Defender
records that as a solution, the introduction of a compulsory medical insurance
system should be considered, which will develop a new social institution, as
well as a new approach to financing medical services.
The introduction of a
compulsory medical insurance will ensure the accessibility of medical services
to certain population groups, by the compulsory participation of the State.
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