"The physicians’ salaries depend on the number of calls received, and one call costs close to 17,000 drams." RA Emergency Medical Assistance Director Taguhi Stepanyan

In comparison with past year, the emergency assistance calls increased by 13,332 this year, Armenia’s Emergency Medical Assistance Director Taguhi Stepanyan stated, during a press conference on Tuesday, adding that the physicians’ salaries depend on the number of calls received, and one call costs close to 17,000 drams (approx. US$ 45).      

In her words, the emergency assistance unit must respond to the call within 7-12 minutes, and the physician shall not be with the patient for more than 20 minutes. “I cannot say all is perfect in our work. There are peak hours, when we might receive so many calls that we cannot arrive for assistance within the necessary time,” Stepanyan noted.     

And speaking about the achievements, Taguhi Stepanyan said: “This year we modernized the programs of our sphere. We received new [emergency] vehicles and new modern-day equipment, the [ambulance] drivers and the physicians underwent trainings, the dispatching system was modernized, [and] the employees’ salaries were raised by close to one-hundred percent.”   

Also, according to Armenia’s Emergency Medical Assistance Director, the reforms in this field were carried not solely in the capital Yerevan, but in the regions as well. In addition, the addresses are being clarified so that address-related holdups are minimized.