Health care in Armenia today

Although one of the smallest of the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia has an ancient tradition and a strong ethnic identification, greatly enhanced by the diaspora. In addition to the problems following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia has had to contend with a draining war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the after-effects of a devastating earthquake in 1988. Humanitarian efforts have ranged from emergency supply deliveries to longer-term sustainable health care partnerships. The United States government, through the Agency for International Development, has organized such partnerships, partially as a result of a multinational mission in 1992 and a subsequent hospital-to-hospital program developed by the American International Health Alliance. We describe the current state of health care in Armenia and some of the problems that need to be addressed to improve health care services to its citizens.