The European Union (EU) and WHO recently donated X-ray equipment to the Ministry of Health of Armenia for use in the radiology rooms of 7 hospitals in the capital of Yerevan and the regions. The donation is part of a larger assistance package provided by the EU to help boost the country’s COVID-19 response.
The new X-ray units will facilitate monitoring of patients’ progress and improve clinical decision-making. They are invaluable to hospitals that see hundreds of COVID-19 patients daily. While traditional film X-rays continue to be effective in establishing a diagnosis, digital X-rays allow for images to be manipulated, providing better quality and definition. This allows for precise and fast diagnostics in hospitals.
Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Ms Andrea Wiktorin, Armenia’s Deputy Minister of Health Dr Lena Nanushyan, and WHO National Professional Officer Dr Henrik Khachatryan gathered at Goris Medical Center to hand over the equipment. “Support to health care in the regions is essential. The EU stands by Armenia to continue the fight against the virus and improve the life of Armenian citizens,” said Ms Wiktorin.
Solidarity for health
The Goris Medical Center is one of several hospitals to receive equipment from WHO through the Solidarity for Health initiative funded by the EU. The Center also received 1 electrocardiogram machine and 3 oxygen concentrators, which have helped hundreds of patients recover from severe illness caused by COVID-19.
“I would like to thank our partners for their continued and invaluable support in the fight against COVID-19 for the past 2 years,” expressed Dr Nanushyan. “Within the framework of the Solidarity for Health initiative, with EU funding and WHO support, an X-ray device has been donated to Goris Medical Center which will enable necessary examinations with a modern device, providing better medical care to our compatriots.”
The guests also learned about the Vaccination is Care campaign and heard from health-care workers about their first-hand experience and the challenges of vaccine deployment.
Increasing access to vaccines in the regions
The Vaccination is Care campaign is being implemented within the joint EU–WHO action to support the deployment of COVID-19 vaccines and vaccination in Armenia in close cooperation with the Ministry of Health. It aims to make COVID-19 vaccination more accessible for people over 65 living in the regions through mobile vaccination groups, visiting polyclinics, outpatient clinics and community centres located closer to their homes.
In addition to COVID-19 vaccination, vulnerable older people can access other essential health services, including screening for noncommunicable diseases such as anaemia and diabetes.
“WHO is committed to assisting with strengthening the resilience of the health system in Armenia, focusing on the regions through the provision of training opportunities to local medical staff and supplying essential medical equipment to make services accessible,” emphasized Dr Khachatryan. “The Vaccination is Care campaign enables the population in Syunik marz to receive COVID-19 vaccines in their local medical centres without travelling.”
