A New World Bank-Supported Medical Center in Martuni to Offer Modernized Facilities to Residents of Gegharkunik Region
Newly constructed and equipped with modern equipment, Martuni Medical Center officially opened over the weekend in the Gegharkunik region of Armenia, supported by funds from the World Bank’s Disease Prevention and Control (DPCP) project. The project seeks to help optimize and modernize the two existing health facilities — Martuni Hospital and Martuni Polyclinic, which have been merged into one multi-functional medical facility – Martuni Medical Center (MC).
As part of the Disease Prevention and Control project, the World Bank has allocated approximately $5.6 million for the modernization of Martuni MC, which covers 80 percent of the overall cost needed for the repairs.
Built in 1987, the hospital services of Martuni Medical Center (MC) were located in a building with very poor conditions including outdated medical equipment and worn–out furniture. The new center is equipped with modern medical equipment and furniture, hemodialysis, blood departments, and computed tomography equipment. The new medical facility will be reaching an extended group of beneficiaries and residents in the Vardenis community, and ensure accessible medical care for over 100, 000 beneficiaries across the Gegharkunik region.
“Martuni Medical Center is one of 21 regional hospitals, which are being renovated, constructed, and equipped with World Bank financing. The program, once fully implemented, will prevent unnecessary patient referrals from the regions to Yerevan as patients will be able to get quality diagnostic and curative service closer to home. This is an important development to reduce inequalities and ensure that public resources are spent efficiently,” said Carolin Geginat, World Bank Country Manager for Armenia.
“Previously, in some cases patients had to spend money either for transportation or the accommodation to get the medical services, even for the state-funded healthcare services. With the opening of Martuni MC we are doing step forward in bringing the services closer to our citizens. This is at the core of our policy: bringing all services closer to our citizens, which also fits into the logic of balanced territorial development and ensures effective use of available resources,” mentioned Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in his opening speech.
The project will reach overall completion in June 2024: one more well-equipped medical facility is expected to be finalized in the Vayots Dzor region by then. People residing outside of the capital Yerevan will receive services in the upgraded regional hospitals with modern biomedical equipment and re-skilled and up-skilled qualified staff. A series of trainings of physicians and nurses will be carried out through Government financing, aimed at further improving the quality of medical services at the newly established medical center.
The World Bank is currently financing 10 projects in Armenia totaling $500 million. Since its inception in Armenia in 1992, the World Bank has provided around $2.7 billion from International Development Association (IDA) to which Armenia became a donor in 2023, International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD), and trust funds. The World Bank is committed to continuing its support to Armenia in its development path for reducing poverty and sharing prosperity.