TALIN, Armenia — Founded by Dr. Tamara Gevorgyan, the “Narek” health center provides family medicine services in the town of Talin, Aragatsotn region. Established about six years ago, the center has been providing Basic Benefit Package services financed by the Government of Armenia for the last five years and is currently serving about 5,000 residents. In addition, the center offers laboratory diagnostic services and consultations by an endocrinologist and a neurologist.
As a beneficiary of the Entrepreneurs in Health (EIH) program of the Turpanjian School of Public Health (SPH), American University of Armenia (AUA), Dr. Gevorgyan was able to expand the laboratory diagnostic services available at her clinic adding biochemical, serological, and immunological laboratory testing.
“We used to refer patients to other healthcare facilities for simple diagnostic procedures, which was creating additional hassles for them,” noted Dr. Gevorgyan, adding “Now all the necessary tests are available in our facilities.”
Dr. Gevorgyan had learned about the EIH program during the course on Healthcare Quality Assurance organized by SPH for physicians working in regions. She applied to the program, successfully completed all the required courses, and presented her Business and Quality Assurance plans to an expert panel. Upon the approval of the EIH Executive Committee, Dr. Gevorgyan qualified to receive financial assistance to purchase laboratory equipment.
Despite being an experienced entrepreneur before joining the EIH program, Dr. Gevorgyan asserts that the program was instrumental in the improvement of her practice operations.
“I had some skills before joining EIH, but not everything was clear to me: for example, how to choose development strategy, how to assess the strengths and weaknesses of our Center, how to improve our services. This program provided me with comprehensive knowledge that helped to improve the performance of my Center,” elaborated Dr. Gevorgyan, adding that she now plans to expand her Center’s services, even more, to address the increasing demand by the population served.
The aim of EIH is to improve access to quality health services in rural communities of Armenia, Artsakh, and Javakhk through introduction of advanced technologies and innovative approaches supporting healthcare professionals to develop private health practices.
The AUA Turpanjian School of Public Health works actively to improve population health and health services in Armenia and the region through interdisciplinary education and development of public health professionals to be leaders in public health, health services research, and evaluation, health care delivery, and management.
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