According to a recent report by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Armenia's health-care sector is grappling with several challenges impacting the quality of care and access to services. Despite recent improvements, out-of-pocket expenditures accounted for approximately 78% of health spending in 2020, with primary health-care visits still lagging behind the European average, as per the World Health Organization's standards.
This is partly attributed to issues concerning care quality, with a significant portion of individuals opting for self-treatment rather than seeking professional medical assistance. Tackling these challenges necessitates a multifaceted approach to enhance overall health-care delivery and ensure better health outcomes.
According to the ADB report, a modern electronic information system, integrated into an e-health strategy, holds promise for improving care quality. By enhancing data collection and analysis capabilities, such a system can facilitate more informed decision-making, better care coordination, improved diagnosis and treatment outcomes, and increased efficiency of medical services. Moreover, a well-functioning e-health system aligns with the overarching goal of delivering safer, more effective, and patient-centered care.
Continuous quality improvement and performance monitoring are indispensable for a well-functioning health-care system. Implementing a quality improvement strategy aligned with national priorities involves establishing standards through licensing and accreditation, developing quality improvement programs, revising licensing for medical institutions, adopting clinical guidelines, and fostering a culture of quality through training and education.
According to the ADB report, these measures aim to bolster care quality, enhance patient safety, and improve health outcomes, ensuring that health-care services remain responsive to evolving patient needs and uphold high standards.
However, insufficient health financing poses a barrier to equitable access to high-quality health-care services. To address this, Armenia's government aims to increase public health expenditure to at least 10% of the budget and 2.5% of GDP by 2026. The introduction of a universal health insurance system in 2026 is deemed crucial for stabilizing health-care financing, reducing out-of-pocket costs, facilitating access to high-quality care, and enhancing financial protection for the population.
According to the ADB report, to tackle these challenges, the government has launched comprehensive health sector reforms. Key policy documents, such as the Government Program for 2021–2026, Health Sector Strategy for 2023–2026, Quality of Care Strategy, and Concept Note for Universal Health Insurance, underscore priorities such as improving care quality and implementing universal health insurance for financial risk protection. These reforms aim to boost health sector spending, enhance service readiness, and elevate the overall quality of health care.
By implementing these reforms, Armenia aims to enhance accessibility, affordability, and the quality of health-care services. Strengthening institutional capacity, fostering quality-management practices, and increasing health sector financing are deemed essential steps towards building a responsive health-care system that caters to the needs of the population.
