YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 20, NOYAN TAPAN. The main factor for reducing accessibility of medical assistance in rural settlements of Armenia is deficit of financial resources. This conclusion is involved in the book entitled "Estimation of Influence of the Poverty Reduction Strategic Program: Agriculture, Irrigation, Health Care." Its presentation took place on September 19. The book was published on the initiative of the Armenian Office of the Oxfam Great Britain international charity public organization. Results of the independent monitoring program implemented in 2004-2005 in rural settlements of 6 marzes of the republic, Shirak, Lori, Tavush, Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik, are presented in the book. In independent expert Samvel Manukian's words, the program was implemented by local public organizations involved in the "Civil Society Cooperation Network." According to the monitoring results, compared with 2004, the situation in the sphere of medical assistance, in general, improved in rural communities of the mentioned marzes in 2005. S.Manukian mentioned that the level of accessibility of medical assistance in low in the marzes of Shirak, Lori, Tavush and is comparatively high in the marzes of Gegharkunik, Vayots Dzor and Syunik. Though services of emergency rooms, out-patient's departments and ambulance are within the framework of state order, however, in the independent expert's words, patients paid, correspondingly, for 12%, 25% and 75% of medical services carried out by them. According to S.Manukian's observation, both cases of payments and their sizes for primary medical assistance reduced in 2005, compared with its previous year. According to results of the monitoring, the population's unawareness (35%), social-psychological factor ("it's all the same they will ask money" 25%) and difficulties of gathering necessary documents lay obstacles for getting free medical assistance within the framework of the state order.

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