Surb Grigor Lusavorich Medical Center

The “St. Grigor Lusavorich” Medical Center is considered one of the advanced medical centers in Armenia.Built in 1977, the Medical Center was founded by Academician Suren K. Avdalbekian. Initially, the Hospital has been known as Municipal Emergency Aid Hospital #2.In 1991 the Hospital was given a new name of the Emergency Scientific Medical Center which incorporated also an Emergency Care station of Yerevan city. Just in 1994, the Emergency Care station was fully detached to become a separate institution. Nevertheless, training and methodical programs with the Emergency Scientific Medical Center have been retained, and a great number of the Emergency Care Station system specialists were also embraced within the retraining courses arranged in cooperation with advanced centers of the USA. For the first time in Armenia and CIS, a large diversified surgery-oriented hospital has been used to found up a 2^nd grade Traumatic Center complied with international standards. That entailed deployment of certain surgery-oriented departments and opening up new ones.As a diversified institution, the Medical Research Center stood out for its active work in the days of the disastrous earthquake and during Karabagh war, not only having medical support set up on the spot, but also sending physicians out in voluntary lines to render medical assistance in the distant hospitals of the country.Since 1992, the Medical Center managed by Professor Ara M. Minasian is in a well-established relationship in the sphere of working and training programs with US Boston Medical Center and Massachusetts Medical University. Supported by the above-mentioned institutions, the Medical Center used its base (former reanimation department) to set up the first in the Republic emergency care and reanimation department, what has fully altered and improved the situation with the admission of badly injured patients waiting for immediate intervention, and principal approaches worked out to arrange medical treatment.In 1992 the above-mentioned US Centers assisted their Armenian partner to open up an Emergency Care Regional Training Center which was upgraded to a Chair of Emergency Aid of National Healthcare Institute in 1994. The Chair cooperated with the US Centers to elaborate and deliver some training courses for the intra-hospital and hospital emergency care doctors, nurses and drivers. In 1997, collaboration with US Oakridge Radiation Center experts resulted in processing still delivered first regional training courses for preparation to such an urgent regional issue as radiation disasters, resisting to them and reduction of impending losses. The Hospital and the Chair laid the foundation of a medical service TV bridge, to have ties established between Armenian regions and to give advice in necessary cases.The “St. Grigor Lusavorich” Medical Center is a basis not only for the Emergency Aid Chair but for 10 other Chairs of National Healthcare Institute, as well as for the Mkhitar Heraci State Medical University Chairs of Therapy and Children’s Neurology. Тhe Medical Center has 1600 employees.The Medical Center excels in scientific research as well. Annual theoretical and practical “A case from the practice” conferences are held in the Medical Center, with their findings summed up in collections. The collections contain not only works produced by physicians of our Center but also scientific data gathered all around Armenia.Many employees of the Medical Center (doctors, nurses) have been retrained at US Massachusetts and Boston Medical Centers, where they also exchanged working experience. Within the framework of a foreign practice program implemented at Boston University, American medical students from different universities are enabled to come to Armenia with one month visit to learn the healthcare system of our country. By 2017 our Medical Center was visited by almost 100 students mostly from the USA, as well as from Canada, Australia, and some European countries. Significance of the program is also giving an opportunity to young Armenian doctors from different countries to establish links with one another, which is conducive to the development of Armenian medicine.Considered by WHO (World Health Organization) a national base for rapid response to extraordinary situations and disasters, the Medical Center carries out structural and other changes of its components, to have them strengthened and preserved for organizing urgent medical care in case of probable disasters and extraordinary situations.Departments of Emergency Care and Resuscitation, Surgery, Proctology, and Therapy of the Medical Center have been honored with an international qualification degree of “Magnet” granted by the World Healthcare system to medical institutions and nursing staff.Within the framework of the Armenian healthcare system optimization program underway since 2004, the Hospital incorporated Obstetrics Hospital #4, Adult Clinic #14, Children’s Clinic #5, and Children Neurological Center #2. At present, the Medical Center is composed of 20 Departments furnished with 800 beds. It is equipped with all modern diagnostic devices and appliances, like computer tomography, MRT, etc.Recently the Medical Center has used its own resources and World Bank finances to do an extensive repair of all its buildings and Departments and to build a central boiler room. Construction works of an oxygen station are close to completion.Our medical center regularly arranges “open door” days in the regions of Armenia and some patients who need inpatient treatment are hospitalized at our medical center.Since 2008 the Clinic building of amalgamation is used by the State Medical College of the “St. Grigor Lusavorich” Medical Center as its base to teach the following disciplines: “Nursing”, “Obstetrics”, “Pharmacy” and “Medical Cosmetology”.