President Serzh Sargsyan left for a working visit to Syunik

In Goris, the President of Armenia visited the newly renovated Medical Center which has been reequipped with the up-to-date apparatus and furniture in the framework of the modernization program for the regional hospitals. The Center has also been conducting works for retraining of the management and implementation of the contemporary principles and systems of public health administration. Investments made in this Center through the World Bank loan program total nearly 2,900,000 USD, or 1,078,602,000 AMD (2.167 mln USD have been received through the loans).

Renovation works, which were launched in December 2009, are currently conducted in the Medical Centers in four marzes – Hrazdan, Ijevan, Armavir, and Ararat. The renovation programs are intended to enhance the availiability of the medical services and reduce the flow of patients from marzes to the capital by providing high-class medical services locally.

At the Goris Medical Center the President of Armenia familiarized with the accoplished works and conditions created in the Center as well as with its optimization and investment programs.

The World Bank second program for the Modernization of the Health Care system envisages assistance to the government of Armenia in the development of medical care on the base of family medicine and modernization of the medical centers in Gavar, Gyumri, Meghri, Kapan, Abovian, Alaverdi, Vanadzor and Berd (construction and equipment of the medical regional center in Meghri will require 3.6 million USD, and construction and equipment of the medical regional center in Kapan - approximately 2.76 million USD).

The program includes also works aimed at the enforcement of institutional capacities which have crucial importance for the reforms, such as development of human resources and licensing of medical facilities, conclusion of the research on the assessment of medical expenses, introduction of a system to ensure quality of hospital care and a computer based system for testing the student of the Yerevan State Medical University, independ audit of every hospital involved in the program, and publishing of the audit reports.

In the framework to his visit to Syunik, President Sargsyan visited also Ler-Ex Ltd. ore processing plant, where the President of the country familiarized with the works for the construction of a shaft in the central part of the Hanqasar copper and molibdenum deposit situated 50 km away from Kapan, as well as with the geological explorations conducted all over the site. It was noted that after the complition of the works and introduction of corresponding technologies, the flotation plant with its waste site, will be processing 150 thousand tonns of minerals. Also, the enterprise has launched production of 51 percent molibdenum concentrate and 25-28 percent copper concentrate. Current production capacities allow to produce 500 tonns of molibdenum and 2000 tonns of copper concentrate.

According to the management of the Company, estimated deposits of the minerals will allow to increase extraction and production оutput and bring it to 250-500 tonns annualy, employing over 500 workers.