Armenia Fund USA, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s East Coast affiliate, is currently implementing its second major healthcare initiative in Artsakh, the construction of a regional hospital in the town of Martuni. The project is co-sponsored by the government of Artsakh. “As with other projects being carried out by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund, I’m sure that the new hospital will be of significant importance to the ongoing recovery and development of the Martuni Region,” says Ara Vardanyan, executive director of the fund. The new hospital will fill a critical healthcare need in the region. The existing hospital, which has long functioned in a dilapidated building, lacks many of the core amenities and services required of a modern medical center. Commenting on the present state of healthcare in Martuni, Dr. Grigory Gasparyan, executive director of the hospital, says that patients are often forced to drive to Stepanakert, a distance of more than 60 kilometers, in order to receive adequate check-ups or treatment. “The new hospital will be a great leap forward,” Dr. Gasparyan explains. “And once our equipment and staff shortages are addressed, we will be able to offer a broad spectrum of medical services, right here in Martuni.” Dr. Gasparyan says that the hospital will need to complete its medical staff by hiring an obstetrician-gynecologist, an ear-nose-throat specialist, and a neuropathologist. The new hospital will include an emergency room, a polyclinic, a maternity ward, and departments of diagnostics, obstetrics and gynecology, and physical therapy. Built to the highest medical standards, the complex will feature central heating and air-conditioning as well as landscaped grounds. The hospital will be able to accommodate up to 22 patients and as much as 60 outpatients a day. “Our supporters give high importance to healthcare development initiatives in Armenia and Artsakh. The newly built Martuni hospital will receive modern medical equipment and the medical staff and management will be trained accordingly to ensure full and efficient functionality,” informs Irina Lazarian, executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s US Eastern region affiliate. In the wake of Artsakh’s war of liberation, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund stood firmly by the republic, dedicating a considerable portion of its resources to rebuilding war-damaged or obsolete infrastructure. Through a broad range of projects launched in the ensuing years, the fund repaired and constructed roads, public buildings, and gas and water pipelines, decisively boosting Artsakh’s recovery and development processes. Next to be implemented was a string of projects directed at renovating the republic’s healthcare institutions and building new facilities. These initiatives have included the construction of the Stepanakert Polyclinic, the Hadrut Regional Hospital, and medical clinics in various villages, in addition to the renovation of several clinics throughout the republic.

---