Research Center of Maternal and Child Health Protection

In 1931, by the decision of the Government of the Armenian Soviet Socialist Republic “Institute of Maternal and child protection” was established in Yerevan. In 1937, the maternal sector of the Institute was transformed into Scientific Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology. Professor G.J. Areshyan was appointed as the director of the institute. For the first 15-20 years the employees of the Institute were naturally occupied with the major problem of “pregnancy and malaria”, because the republic was in widespread epidemic of malaria.From 1950 in connection with reorganization and expansion of the Institute and with rapid development in medicine, the Institute intensively started to research subjects of influence of working conditions and life on specific functions of female organism.During this very period appeared the first research works devoted to organizational, scientifically-practical questions and professional training.In 1950 the Obstetrics and Gynecology Institute was separated from the Department with the same name and was transferred to a building of the Central Maternity Hospital of Yerevan (22 Lenin’s avenue, now 22 Mashtots Avenue) where it is up to this day.The head of the Institute was appointed a famous and honored professor of medicine, Dr. P. H. Margaryan.From 1973 to 1989 the director of Scientific Research Institute of Obstetrics and Gynecology became Dr. Grigori G. Okoev. In 1973 the structure of the institute and the scientific priorities were reorganized.During this period, two departments of the Yerevan Institute of Postgraduate Training were operating on the basis of the Institute: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Department of Pathological Anatomy.In 1981, a branch of Moscow WHO collaborating Center was organized at the Institute, which in 1986 became an independent WHO collaborating Center which operates up to this day.At that stage, Institute developed a republican medical-genetic Center, republican Center of perinatological diagnostics, republican prosectorium of newborns, republican scientifically-methodical Center, republican Center of hyperbaric oxygenation and regional Center of artificial insemination.