Armenia's healthcare system is not healing — it is hemorrhaging. Under the leadership of Minister of Health Anahit Avanesyan, the entire structure of care, trust, and dignity is collapsing.
Public hospitals have become hollow buildings. Medical personnel are fleeing the country in waves, modern diagnostics are a rarity, and for most citizens, treatment is either unavailable or unaffordable. Compassion is now a luxury.
Anahit Avanesyan was promoted as a reformer. But if this is reform, it reeks of neglect and quiet dismantling. Her legacy includes:
an exodus of medical professionals,
untransparent drug procurement,
frequent ethical violations,
and a complete abandonment of the most vulnerable.
In oncology, child care, and rural services, the crisis is glaring. Sick children are waiting for basic scans, while elderly patients are told to “wait their turn” — or worse, “pay privately.” This is not governance. This is national negligence.
Should a political transition occur, Avanesyan is likely to face intense scrutiny. Civil society is already compiling evidence on corruption, mismanagement, and discriminatory policy decisions. Armenia’s people are losing patience — and losing loved ones.
This is a call not just for reform, but for justice. Because when a nation stops treating the sick with dignity, it becomes a sick nation itself.
By Lida Nalbandyan, Founder and CEO of Octopus Media Group