A regular Cabinet meeting was held today, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

The meeting first discussed the draft decision “On Approval of Special Procedure for Prosthetics of Persons Injured in Hostilities Unleashed against the Artsakh Republic.” Prosthetics for people with disabilities, among other supportive measures, shall be implemented through state budget funding on the basis of state certificates. The system allows a person to choose his / her preferred option within the amount guaranteed by the state certificate. According to a preliminary assessment carried out by the Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs, about 115 people injured in hostilities need prosthetics.

A multidisciplinary team shall be set up, consisting of orthopedists or traumatologists, physiotherapists or rehabilitators, ergotherapists, independent prosthetists (including foreign specialists, as there are no independent specialists in this field in Armenia), psychologists, etc. The team will assess the needs of beneficiaries through in-house methodology using a pre-developed methodology; they will provide an opinion on the type of prosthesis, its components, technical specifications, as well as other necessary support action. Beneficiaries may file their applications on the spot. The applications shall be forwarded to the medical-technical commission. Persons missing on the list will need a certificate from the Ministry of Defense.

Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Mesrop Arakelyan noted that the beneficiaries eligible under the program shall have functional prosthetics in accordance with the applicable international standards. Following evaluation, an individual certificate is developed for each beneficiary featuring 2 prices: the price defined by the state certificate and an additional price, with the latter to be funded by non-state funds not prohibited by law. There is a requirement for service providers to teach the beneficiaries prosthetic skills. The procedure involves prosthetics of limbs and ocular apparatus. A special procedure shall be developed based on the program’s results; proposals will be formulated to expand the range of beneficiaries, as well as to improve the prosthetics policy in Armenia.

Touching on the draft decision, Nikol Pashinyan noted that it has two main goals. The first is to organize the process of making prosthetic appliances for injured servicemen in need of prosthetics as quickly and comfortably as possible, and the second is to improve the quality of prostheses offered to our compatriots.

The Government endorsed the proposal to sign a loan agreement between the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the Republic of Armenia, referred to as “Additional Funding for the Disease Prevention and Control Program.” The reference note says that USD 7.4 million shall be made available with a view to modernizing the regional healthcare system in Armenia, improving medical services in Gegharkunik and Vayots Dzor Marzes and ensuring continuity of the Disease Prevention and Control Program.

The Executive amended one of its previous decisions to ensure proper enforcement of those regulations envisaged by Article 203 of the RA Civil Code. In particular, according to Article 203 / 7 of the Civil Code, the rightful owner of a plot of land, a building or other real estate has the right to authorize the police to take action on his behalf to prevent or eliminate intrusion. The procedure and the conditions for authorizing the police by the legal owner are defined by the Government of the Republic of Armenia.

In accordance with a decision passed at today’s meeting, Tigran Petrosyan was relieved of the post of Shirak Marz Governor. By another decision, Hovhannes Harutyunyan was appointed Governor of Shirak Marz.