FEBRUARY 13, 2012
HS-STAR project organized a workshop on February 10 at “Erebuni Plaza” business center to discuss healthcare quality improvement problems existing at newborn and child intensive care departments of three regional hospitals in Kapan, Vanadzor and Gyumri cities. MOH officials, Syunik, Shirak and Lori marzes’ health departments’ representatives, heads of health centers child intensive care departments, leading neonatologists from Yerevan hospitals, pediatric associations representatives were present at the meeting.
Greeting the participants, HS-STAR project director Robert Hagan stressed the importance of neonatal and child intensive care services in health system, emphasizing that HS-STAR is ready to provide continuous support to MOH in implementing child intensive care services strengthening program. MOH child health department head Nuneh Pashayan presented the problems of regional child intensive care services and the state program to strengthen those services. “According to demographic data child mortality as of 2011 January 1st, was 7.2% in Yerevan and 15.1-19.8% in the above-mentioned marzes. In 2009 the first-24-hour inpatient deaths in marzes were 2, 5 as high as in Yerevan. In marzes the “home mortality” was ten times as many as in Yerevan. In addition, the 2/6 of the inpatient child deaths in Yerevan were children transported from regions,” emphasized Mrs. Pashayan. MOH Chief Neonatologist Hrant Kalenteryan noted that high mortality rates in marzes result from a bunch of problems in child resuscitation services namely, lack of intensive therapy services, acute scarcity of appropriate equipment and specialists.”
The state program envisages forming three self-sufficient child intensive care departments at Gyumri, Vanadzor and Kapan hospitals that will have a status of interregional centers. The corresponding services in Yerevan will have operational links with these departments to provide necessary professional, organizational and methodological support. HS-STAR Quality improvement team leader Karine Abelyan elaborated assistance the project is going to provide to the MOH. According to team leader, “HS-STAR project will provide comprehensive and continuous advisory, professional and methodological support to all levels of this process- hospital, department and physician, expecting both mid-term and long-term tangible results.”
Participants’ lively discussions and recommendations followed the presentations. Regional structures representatives and leading specialists of this area presented their points, and expressed their concerns and approaches to solve the problems. They indicated numerous problems, which can be addressed only through joint efforts. The participants stressed the importance and value of the discussions. As HS-STAR Deputy Chief of Party Gayane Gharagebakyan clarified, “This discussion was unique, as almost all interested parties of neonatology and child resuscitation areas were able to present their viewpoint and recommendations on the proposed reforms in this pivotal health direction.”
At the end of the workshop, it was proposed that the heads of regional health structures, hospitals and departments, the leading neonatologists of the republic and other stakeholders would keep on working on the discussed problems to have suggestions that are more complete during the next meeting. HS-STAR experts plan to organize new professional discussions focusing on the solution of discussed issues.
