Armenian health NGO warns low pay for doctors threatens care quality

Armenia’s health insurance system is undermining the quality of medical care by failing to provide doctors with pay that reflects the complexity and risks of their work, a health rights advocate said on Monday.

In a social media post, Anush Poghosyan, president of the Right to Health NGO, said medical staff are forced to work under heavy workloads, extensive reporting requirements and constant risk of fines and inspections, but without adequate compensation or social guarantees.

“This is not only social injustice, but also an imminent threat to the quality of healthcare,” Poghosyan wrote, warning that low wages drive physician burnout, emigration and even corruption risks.

She added that the consequences are borne by patients, doctors, and the state itself, calling for an urgent policy review. “The damage is not in the future but here and now – to human health, dignity of doctors and public trust,” Poghosyan said.