17-12-2013 – Health Financing in Armenia: Problems and Perspectives

On December 13, the AUA School of Public Health hosted Saro Tsaturyan, the Head of the State Health Agency (SHA) of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia as a guest lecturer. Mr. Tsaturyan talked about health financing in Armenia, historical trends in the financing mix supporting the health system, the main functions of the SHA, and presented some of the challenges the Armenian health system has been facing and updated the audience about recent health reforms to be implemented in 2014.

Saro Tsaturyan is the Head of the State Health Agency, Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia since 2012. SHA is in charge of contracting health facilities, purchasing and medical care and services provided within the Basic Benefit Package (BBP), and monitoring/auditing the work of those health facilities. In 2001-2012, Saro Tsaturyan was the Chairman and CEO of “Diagnostica” Medical Corporation. Mr. Tsaturyan is a Health Economist with more than twenty years of work experience in health care sector and related areas. He started his career in 1991 as a Junior Economist in “Diagnostica” Medical Corporation, which was by then one of the first private medical enterprises in Armenia. In 1992-1997, Mr. Tsaturyan worked in the National Assembly of Armenia, as the Chief Expert on health issues. Saro Tsaturyan has been involved in different donor funded health care reform projects in Armenia and abroad as a Health Economist or Health Financing Expert and collaborated with USAID, World Bank, WHO, UNDP, and others. Saro Tsaturyan has received a diploma and post-graduate education (aspirantura) in Economics from Yerevan State Institute of National Economy and has received multiple international trainings, including in Boston University School of Public Health, Netherlands’ School of Public Health, and other well-known institutions.

An active question answer session followed Mr. Tsaturyan’s presentation with the faculty, students and graduates of the Master of Public Health Program.