Chaired by Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, the Government continued discussing public agency performance reports for 2016, including their compliance with the government’s action plan, priorities and assessed performance. Reports were delivered by the Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Healthcar and the Ministry of Sport and Youth Affairs.
To begin with, Culture Minister Armen Amiryan noted that the Government had adopted a number of decisions in the field of culture. First, the initiative group of the first-ever Yerevan international biennale has decided to host Standard international triennial of contemporary art, work on which will start in 2017. Three home-museums have been refurbished; two new permanent exhibitions were reopened in the period under review. Four large-scale exhibitions were launched abroad. Haghpat hosted Komitas international symposium-festival. Armenian Cinema database is up. Three joint-production films are complete. Seven films have been digitized, one is in progress.
Armen Amiryan also reported on 2017 priority issues, promotion of cultural products and services, the use of modern information technology, increasing economic activity in the field of cultural heritage, implementation of creative projects aimed at boosting patriotism.
In order to increase awareness and dissemination of Armenian culture, Karen Karapetyan stressed the need to develop appropriate mechanisms pf capitalization. “Theaters and other cultural institutions should have a plan on how to capitalize, change and introduce a quality management culture. We must push ahead with such projects,” the Prime Minister said. The Prime Minister also stressed the importance of holding events aimed at spreading global culture in our country.
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Healthcare Minister Levon Altunyan reported that several regional medical centers have been built, repaired and re-equipped in the framework of the Health System Modernization program. Multi-purpose rural health centers were commissioned in five communities of Meghri region. Construction of a hospital unit at the medical center in Sevan community of Gegharkunik region has started. The latest generation Hematology Center of the Ministry of Healthcare after Professor R. Yeolyan has been modernized and provided with state-of-the-art medical equipment.
The Healthcare Minister also presented the priorities for 2017: quality assurance and access to health services, optimization, improvement of mechanisms of organization of state order in the field of medical care and services, introduction of international standards in the pharmaceuticals market, e-health information system, based on international best practices adaptation and introduction of clinical guides and regulations to work with patients to create a system of health of the Ombudsman, as well as the implementation of measures aimed at the adoption of a healthy lifestyle.
Summing up the report, Prime Minister Karapetyan noted that the Ministry of Healthcare is expected to ensure a very productive work in 2017. “Your staff is expected to carry out optimization, because with those 85 billion drams earmarked to your Ministry we can get a better result. I look forward to our best clinics’ involvement in the provinces in order to change the culture of management, introduce e-health educational and complete other essential programs. In a word, I expect a revolution in a good way. We have much to do, and we have to fundamentally change this spher,” the Head of Government emphasized.
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According to the Minister of Sport and Youth Affairs Hrachya Rostomyan, the Government has developed and approved a number of decisions concerning the development of the scope and concepts in the reporting year.
A number of events aimed at promoting sporting activities in various groups have been organized. The youth portal was launched in order to develop the capacity of youth organizations and encourage participation processes in 2016 with the new tools and modern solutions. There were implemented training programs in the period under review.
The Minister reported that the priorities for 2017 are the spread of physical culture and sports among the population of Armenia, raising the level of involvement of young people, the development of sports tourism development concept, the development of the Armenian national wrestling Koch, the dissemination of healthy lifestyle among preschool children through physical education, the development of mass sports in Armenia and the Republic of Armenia through the yard areas of sporting events, etc..
The Prime Minister noted the importance of making an inventory of existing problems, collecting proposals and implementing concrete measures to achieve the priorities.