IBRD to issue EUR 102mln to Armenia for improving medical services  quality 

ArmInfo.  The International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) will provide Armenia  with a loan of 102 million euros to improve the quality of medical services. The National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia will  discuss the draft agreement with the Bank submitted by the government  for ratification at a plenary session on April 18.

As Lena Nanushyan, Deputy Minister of Health of the Republic of  Armenia, noted in her speech, the agreement was signed on July 25,  2024. The goal of the loan program is to assist the Ministry of  Health of the Republic of Armenia in introducing comprehensive health  insurance and improving the quality of primary health care. The goal  of the project is also to increase the efficiency of public spending  on healthcare and reduce financial barriers for the population when  using medical services. One of the components of the program is to  improve the quality of the healthcare system. In this direction, it  is envisaged to carry out measures to prevent and treat the most  common diseases by reforming the system of services provided.

As for increasing the efficiency of public spending, Nanushyan noted  that in this segment of the program it is also planned to carry out  reforms in critical areas of spending, in particular, concerning the  production of medicines. It is planned to carry out measures aimed at  reducing financial barriers for the population in the provision of  medical services, which are envisaged to be implemented within the  framework of the project for the implementation of the universal  health insurance system. The use of this component of the program  will lead to an increase in budget allocations, which will be  directed to the organization of public procurement and the solution  of a number of other problems. Nanushyan reported that the loan  repayment period is 25 years, 15 of which are a grace period. The  program is scheduled to end on September 30, 2029.  The program  itself includes an IBRD condition, according to which credit  resources will be provided in separate tranches at a rate of 5% as  each of the components is completed.