Medical facilities in Armenia to be placed under control of health ministry during emergencies
YEREVAN, July 9. /ARKA/. The Armenian government approved today a bill, which after going through parliament, would place all medical establishments in the country regardless of their ownership under the control of the ministry of health during state of emergencies.
According to the Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan, an exception is made only for military hospitals which are under the control of the Ministry of Defense.
"During the state of emergency medical assistance to the population is organized in accordance with the decrees of the head of the health authority, the failure to fulfill which leads to the consequences established by law," he said.
Also, during the state of emergency retraining of unskilled employees of medical institutions becomes mandatory. Violation of these requirements will lead to administrative liability in the form of a fine in the amount of 300-500 thousand drams.
"During periods of emergency, there is a need for centralized management of the system, which is more consistent with reality than legal regulations which are in force during " peaceful "period," said Torosyan.
However, he noted that this decision does not mean that medical facilities will immediately come under the control of the ministry.
According to the minister, when declaring the state of emergency, the ministry will decide which medical centers are to be placed under its control.
A 30-day state of emergency to curb the spread of coronavirus was declared in Armenia on March 16 and restrictions were imposed on free movement of citizens. The government banned also some types of economic activity. On April 13, the government extended the state of emergency for another month and on May 4 it lifted the ban on almost all types of economic activity and the free movement of citizens, except for public transport. On May 14, the government again extended the state of emergency for another 30 days.
However, despite the extension, public transport, preschools, trading centers, restaurants and gyms have reopened starting from May 18, and wearing of masks has become mandatory in public spaces.
On June 12, the government has extended the state of emergency for another month- until July 13. On July 6 Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan signaled that the government would extend the state of emergency at least one more time. -0-
