Tweet
HEALTHY MOTHERS FOR HEALTHY CHILDREN
Azat Artsakh - Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
23 March 05
Last October the Clinic for Women was opened in Stepanakert sponsored
by the Armenian - Canadian union of doctors of Toronto. The clinic
specializing in obstetrics and gynecology operates on a charity
basis. We talked to the head of the clinic Lilia Arzumanian on the
work of the clinic. L.G. "Doctor Arzumanian, the clinic has been
operating for several months now. Did it prove to be a necessity to
the population of the republic?" Lilia Arzumanian "First of all,
I should say that with the type of service it provides the clinic
has a special place in the system of medical institutions as it deals
with the health of girls and women. What we lacked once has become a
reality. I mean the sexual education of girls in particular. Since
the opening day of the clinic about a thousand women consulted us
and were examined. Some of them came again later. They represent
different social classes: students, soldiers, housewives, etc. Our
youngest patient is 12 years old, while the oldest was born in
1919. In this period ten patients turned o us with the problem of
sterility. Five of them have been married for a long time now, two
are already pregnant. The rest are still being examined. The other
branch of services provided by the clinic is diagnosis and treatment of
sexually transmitted diseases. About 400 people infected with venereal
diseases were discovered. There were even cases of gonorrhea. Another
service provided in the clinic is ultrasound examination. Uterine
fibroid tumour (myoma) was found with ten women. We suspected cancer
with three women and sent them abroad. Women visit us not only from
the capital but also from all the regions of the republic. It means
that the work of the clinic is efficient." L.G. "Are all the services
provided inside the clinic free?" "Generally, the clinic operates on
a charity basis. Everything including examination, ultrasound, advice
of the psychologist, is free of charge. If additional examination is
required outside the clinic, the patients have to cover the expenses
themselves. There are diseases for the treatment of which expensive
medicine is needed, such as, for example, sterility. Nevertheless,
in these cases we provided the patients with certain kinds of
medicine free of charge. Besides, we have distributed about 3000
contraceptives to our patients." L.G. "Do you cooperate with the
diagnostic center? Does it provide free service to the patients
of the clinic? - L.A. "There is permanent cooperation with the
diagnostic center. However, everything is not in the way it had
been planned. At present we cannot afford to pay for all kinds of
examination in the diagnostic center because some of them are very
expensive. Patients have to pay for diagnostic services." L.G.
"As far as I remember, the sponsors had promised to provide free
medicine besides free medical care." L.A. "It is planned. At present
there is no sufficient financing. In the course of time our sponsors
will settle the problem. The sponsors are ten Armenian families from
Toronto. The director of the program is Avetik Poghossian. He is going
to visit Artsakh on May 1. Very soon we will obtain new equipment
for hormonal examination which is very important for us It is a
matter of time. I am sure that Karabakh will also have mammography
equipment after the opening of the new health care complex, which
is also a necessity." L.G. "Do you have other sponsors?" L.A. "The
honorary president of the foundation of the clinic is the first lady
of the republic Inna Ghukassian who aids us greatly supplying us
with necessary articles. She is in constant communication with us and
visits us if necessary and at holidays. Besides Mrs. Ghukassian, the
speaker of the National Assembly also aids us; he gave a TV set to the
clinic." L.G. "Is it necessary to make an appointment to see a doctor
in the clinic" L.A. "Examination is by appointment. Women with the
problem of sterility, however, are attended without appointment." L.G.
"The clinic also deals with sexual education. What steps are taken in
this direction?" L.A. "We have prepared a serioes of lectu res to be
delivered at secondary schools. Our schoolgirls do not have enough
knowledge in sexual education." L.G. "What would you wish to our
girls and women?" L.A. "I wish them to be healthy."
LAURA GRIGORIAN. 23-03-2005
Azat Artsakh - Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
23 March 05
Last October the Clinic for Women was opened in Stepanakert sponsored
by the Armenian - Canadian union of doctors of Toronto. The clinic
specializing in obstetrics and gynecology operates on a charity
basis. We talked to the head of the clinic Lilia Arzumanian on the
work of the clinic. L.G. "Doctor Arzumanian, the clinic has been
operating for several months now. Did it prove to be a necessity to
the population of the republic?" Lilia Arzumanian "First of all,
I should say that with the type of service it provides the clinic
has a special place in the system of medical institutions as it deals
with the health of girls and women. What we lacked once has become a
reality. I mean the sexual education of girls in particular. Since
the opening day of the clinic about a thousand women consulted us
and were examined. Some of them came again later. They represent
different social classes: students, soldiers, housewives, etc. Our
youngest patient is 12 years old, while the oldest was born in
1919. In this period ten patients turned o us with the problem of
sterility. Five of them have been married for a long time now, two
are already pregnant. The rest are still being examined. The other
branch of services provided by the clinic is diagnosis and treatment of
sexually transmitted diseases. About 400 people infected with venereal
diseases were discovered. There were even cases of gonorrhea. Another
service provided in the clinic is ultrasound examination. Uterine
fibroid tumour (myoma) was found with ten women. We suspected cancer
with three women and sent them abroad. Women visit us not only from
the capital but also from all the regions of the republic. It means
that the work of the clinic is efficient." L.G. "Are all the services
provided inside the clinic free?" "Generally, the clinic operates on
a charity basis. Everything including examination, ultrasound, advice
of the psychologist, is free of charge. If additional examination is
required outside the clinic, the patients have to cover the expenses
themselves. There are diseases for the treatment of which expensive
medicine is needed, such as, for example, sterility. Nevertheless,
in these cases we provided the patients with certain kinds of
medicine free of charge. Besides, we have distributed about 3000
contraceptives to our patients." L.G. "Do you cooperate with the
diagnostic center? Does it provide free service to the patients
of the clinic? - L.A. "There is permanent cooperation with the
diagnostic center. However, everything is not in the way it had
been planned. At present we cannot afford to pay for all kinds of
examination in the diagnostic center because some of them are very
expensive. Patients have to pay for diagnostic services." L.G.
"As far as I remember, the sponsors had promised to provide free
medicine besides free medical care." L.A. "It is planned. At present
there is no sufficient financing. In the course of time our sponsors
will settle the problem. The sponsors are ten Armenian families from
Toronto. The director of the program is Avetik Poghossian. He is going
to visit Artsakh on May 1. Very soon we will obtain new equipment
for hormonal examination which is very important for us It is a
matter of time. I am sure that Karabakh will also have mammography
equipment after the opening of the new health care complex, which
is also a necessity." L.G. "Do you have other sponsors?" L.A. "The
honorary president of the foundation of the clinic is the first lady
of the republic Inna Ghukassian who aids us greatly supplying us
with necessary articles. She is in constant communication with us and
visits us if necessary and at holidays. Besides Mrs. Ghukassian, the
speaker of the National Assembly also aids us; he gave a TV set to the
clinic." L.G. "Is it necessary to make an appointment to see a doctor
in the clinic" L.A. "Examination is by appointment. Women with the
problem of sterility, however, are attended without appointment." L.G.
"The clinic also deals with sexual education. What steps are taken in
this direction?" L.A. "We have prepared a serioes of lectu res to be
delivered at secondary schools. Our schoolgirls do not have enough
knowledge in sexual education." L.G. "What would you wish to our
girls and women?" L.A. "I wish them to be healthy."
LAURA GRIGORIAN. 23-03-2005