YEREVAN, June 28. /ARKA/. Ara Babloyan, head of Armenian National Assembly’s healthcare, maternity and childhood committee, speaking Thursday at a news conference, said the number of Armenians who will by medical insurances is supposed to grow dramatically in the next five or ten years.

“The first stage started with obligatory insurance of public and civil servants,” he said. “The second stage will be compulsory insuring of private sector’s employees. This is a stage-to-stage process that will take from five to ten years.

In January 2012, the Armenian government introduced a package of social benefits for about 120,000 public and civil servants. One of its components is mandatory medical insurance.

“This particular case shows that the government is ahead of the private sector, Babloyan said. “I think there is no doubt that medical insurance institution has justified itself all over the world.”
He stressed that medical services should be available to all categories of people.

In response to a question whether state-paid medical services will no longer be provided after introduction of medical insurance institution, the lawmaker said that the government should pay for treatment of chronic diseases only.

Babloyan also said that appropriate legislative changes should become the next step of the government.

The cost of annual social benefits for a servant is AMD 132,000, of which 52,000 is to be paid as health insurance. ($1 – AMD 417.61). -0--–