The Martuni hospital construction

YEREVAN—Armenia Fund USA, the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s U.S. Eastern Region affiliate, has begun construction of a new hospital in Martuni, Artsakh (Karabakh), with co-financing from theArmenian Medial Fund USA in New York and the government of Artsakh.

Martuni’s existing hospital was built in 1965 and has since fallen into disrepair, no longer capable of offering adequate.

The new hospital, consisting of a two-story structure with a total area of 2,470 square meters, will be a state-of-the art facility, fully equipped to provide a broad range of modern health services.

The basement of the new hospital will house various storage and service rooms. The first floor will host a reception hall, an emergency room, and an intensive-care unit, and polyclinic, diagnostic, infectious disease, and administrative departments. The second floor will include the departments of surgery, therapy, and gynecology.The hospital’s electric substation and heating and air-conditioning systems will allow the hospital to run more efficiently.The complex will also feature a sizeable courtyard for patient use.

With the basement and the first floor already built, crews are currently constructing the second floor. Dr. Grisha Gasparyan, the hospital’s executive director, said the facility will be able to serve close to 1,000 stationary and 1,400 ambulatory patients per year, and up to 23 inpatients per day. Gasparyan noted that the hospital will be able to admit patients from nearby villages as well.

“The new Martuni Hospital is the second medical facility to be built in Artsakh through the efforts of theArmenian community of the Eastern United States,” said Ara Vardanyan, the executive director of the HayastanAll-Armenian Fund. “The first such facility was the Stepanakert Polyclinic which, ever since its construction nine years ago, has played an invaluable role in the health maintenance of the local population. We are extremely gratified that the future Martuni Hospital will in turn benefit the communities of Martuni and surrounding areas.”

In addition to supporting such far-reaching projects as the Martuni Hospital, Armenia Fund USA has spearheaded the HyeBridge Telehealth program in partnership with the Yerevan State Medical University. A telemedicine initiative, HyeBridge uses internet-based videoconferencing and a dedicated website to deliver improved healthcare to a number of medical facilities in underserved communities throughout Armenia and Artsakh.

Martuni is the site of several major development projects financed by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. Currently the city’s water-distribution network is being reconstructed, with funds raised through Telethon 2010. The project’s first phase has already been completed, and construction bids are currently being accepted for the second and third phases.

Hayastan All Armenian Fund is a non-profit organization established in 1992 with the aim of facilitating humanitarian assistance and infrastructure development in Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh. The Fund has 22 affiliates worldwide. To make a donation, visit donate.himnadram.org.