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.
