Armenia launches new program to provide better access to treatment of mental disorders
ArmInfo.The French Sanofi Group of Companies, the Ministry of Health of Armenia and the World Association of Social Psychiatry have united to provide the citizens of the country with better access to the treatment of mental disorders. The program, with a duration of three years, aims to provide medical care to people suffering from schizophrenia and deep depression, is designed to significantly reduce the level of these diseases. The program is based on the principles of public-private partnership. According to Jean-Francois Charpentier, the Ambassador of France to Armenia, who was present at the launch of the program, noted that the Armenian-French partnership in the field of healthcare is one of the priorities. He informed that this year, with the assistance of Business France and the Ministry of Health of Armenia, the days of France will be held in Armenia, where further issues of cooperation in this sphere will be discussed and new horizons for cooperation will open.
As the General Psychiatrist of Armenia Samvel Torosyan informed previously, the new program is based on successful pilot project, which is implemented during last 2 years in Yerevan. The basic program is to be implemented in 6 regions of Armenia and is for treatment of not only mental abnormalities. The program includes training of 600 specialists for first aid and 180 specialists on mental health.
As Francois Bompart, vice president of access to medicines for Sanofi, said, "Armenia has a very developed healthcare system, much more developed than in many other countries with which we cooperate." In the opinion of the president of the International Association of Psychiatry, Professor Tom Craig, depression has become a very common disease and it suffers from 10 to 15% of the population, but more than 80% of them are not considered sick. He noted that depression is not just a bad mood, it is a problem that makes a person indifferent to everything. It is most often observed in people suffering from such diseases as oncology, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, as well as among women in labor. Therefore, the implementation of the program in Armenia will have an important social significance.
To note, Sanofi Group of Companies is one of the global leaders in healthcare and develops, manufactures and markets various medications. The company according to own estimates by the volume of sales of medicines takes the 4th place in the world and the 2nd place in Europe