Armenia

Throughout the month June, RMF and Armenian Relief Society (ARS) continued their mission with the implementation stage of distributing the necessary medicines to those in need and continuing their analysis, gathering of case stories and identifying various gaps in services to be met in the future.

To comply with program objectives, our program partner ARS, focused on equipping of the six satellite health posts with pharmaceuticals to service the target population in the region. In addition, ARS assessed, evaluated and reported all the necessary elements in the purchase of the ambulance which is projected to significantly increase access to healthcare for the residents of Shinuhayr and its surrounding six villages. RMF and ARS have already identified several potential ambulances for purchase and further detailed assessments are being entertained to identify the most appropriate vehicle for the final candidacy.

As of June 1st, Ms. Stella Arzumanyan from ARS Goris chapter replaced our previous program coordinator in Shinuhayr. Ms. Arzumanyan quickly noted and reported the need for First Aid equipment as well as hand sanitizers for our clinic in Shinuhayr. Currently the most painful and critical problem she assessed was the lack of clean water. There is absolutely no water within the building. There is only a rusty spring outdoors that gets water only one hour per day in the late afternoon.

On average, 28-30 patients visit and are seen by clinic staff per day, of which usually 13 are adults and the rest children. Vaccinations for children are done two days per week. It is now a “hygiene mandate” that after vaccinating a child, the nurse immediately wash her hands to prevent the passing of infection to the next child being vaccinated. And unfortunately, this task is accomplished with the collected unclean water. To quickly address this important public health issue, RMF has proposed the purchase and distribution of hand sanitizers to be used by all staff members, especially clinicians in their daily clinical practice.

In the meantime, among various medicines that are being provided, RMF is also cognizant of the importance of childhood vaccinations and the necessary vaccines have been purchased and distributed to service this patient population. Twelve children ages (0-1) were vaccinated in June.

In the months prior, RMF and ARS worked on identifying the most vulnerable individuals from these regions so they could be treated with the medical care they need. The most prevalent illnesses that people suffer from in these regions are reported as the following:
1. High blood-pressure
2. Heart-vascular diseases
3. Anemia in children
4. Children with mental retardation (especially in Shinuhayr)
5. Osteochondrosis (majority in women)
6. Varicose veins

In the month of June, 20 socially vulnerable patients received free medicines. The above table demonstrates the number of patients receiving pharmaceutical aid from the different villages. Forty five percent (45%) of recipients were female vs. Fifty five percent (55%) male. Medicines distributed in the top four categories of diseases were the following: 45% Heart Disease; 35% Anti-hypertensives; 35% anti-inflammatories; and 20% antibiotics.