About 600 citizens in Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh) need surgery, but are deprived of that opportunity due to the blockade. Surgery is done only in urgent cases.
Mher Musayelyan (Director of the Republican Medical Center of Stepanakert) - From December 12 to today, we have done 254 surgeries, all of them were for acute indications.
The reason for the postponement of planned surgeries from December 12 is the lack of medicine and necessary materials, says the director of the Artsakh Republican Medical Center.
Mher Musayelyan - We receive medicine from the reserve fund of the Ministry of Health and through the mediation of the Red Cross, and it is enough to work in this format. Of course, we need to have a larger reserve fund for planned surgeries.
68-year-old Gyulchora Harutyunyan was taken to the hospital with acute pain in the gallbladder, according to the doctor's instructions, the organ needs to be removed. But due to the delay of planned surgeries, they suggested waiting and prescribed medicine treatment.
Gulchora Harutyunyan (patient) - Until now, I take medicines daily so that I don't have these attacks. It's true the pain attacks are rare now, because I take medicine every day, but I don't feel well anyway.
Dozens of children are also waiting for the resumption of planned surgeries. Due to the lack of materials, some researches are not carried out at the children’s hospital.
Ernest Lalayan (deputy director of Stepanakert ‘Arevik’ children's medical association) - We had supplies, but the supplies are not endless, they will definitely run out eventually. And the medication obtained through the Red Cross, of course, is not enough. I should also say that most of the medication is consumed through the polyclinic service. We have needed medication for quite some time now to provide that medication to outpatients. Mainly this applies to antibiotics.
Despite the sad medical statistics, the specialists of Artsakh Children's Hospital have achieved unprecedented success. A 7-month-old child diagnosed with visceral leishmaniasis was treated with the remote support of the colleagues from Armenia.
Ernest Lalayan - The condition of the 7-month-old child is assessed as moderate, of course, in terms of leishmaniasis, we have completed the treatment, completed the course, but there are still things to correct. At this point, that child has anemia, low hemoglobin, low P12, still needs correction.
Under the conditions of the Azerbaijani blockade, the doctors from Artsakh also treated severe pneumonia, in case of diagnosis of which the patient had to be transferred to Yerevan.
