Statements and Webcast
Armenia
H.E. Mr. Sergey Khachatryan, Deputy Minister of Health Care
9 June 2011
- Statement: English (Check against delivery)
Statement Summary
SERGEY KHACHATRYAN, Deputy Minister of Health Care of Armenia, said that the country had instituted several programmes and changes. In 2010, it had started a healthy lifestyle training course in the curriculum of its secondary schools to promote HIV knowledge among youth. Harm reduction programmes targeting at-risk populations and youth had stabilized the epidemic by raising awareness. The HIV epidemic remained constant in Armenia, but the country was located in a region where that rate increased as a result of labour exchanges. The cases that were registered in Armenia were connected to immigration, as half of those infected were labour workers who contracted the disease outside of the country.
He said the number of HIV tests performed in the country had increased and detection had improved. The Global Fund had provided unique support, and antiretroviral drug treatment and programmes to prevent mother-to-child transmission were available. All women had access to those services, more than 95 per cent of the women who needed consultations were receiving them. Further scaling up was needed to help reach the common goal, namely, the elimination of transmission. It was also important to make the lives of those with HIV/AIDS as comfortable as possible and to remove restrictive barriers. Armenia was hopeful that institutions like the Global Fund would continue to play an active role, because global solidarity was the key to fighting the disease. Finally, the Government expressed confidence that the Meeting would establish a road map that included affordable care and holistic support.
Source: GA/11090