HEALTH-CARE IN ARMENIA TODAY

Although one of the smallest of the new independent states of the form er Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia has an ancient tradition and a strong ethnic identification, greatly enhanced by the diaspora. In a ddition to the problems following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia has had to contend with a draining war in Nagorno-Karabakh an d the after-effects of a devastating earthquake in 1988. Humanitarian efforts have ranged from emergency supply deliveries to longer-term su stainable health care partnerships. The United States government, thro ugh the Agency for International Development, has organized such partn erships, partially as a result of a multinational mission in 1992 and a subsequent hospital-to-hospital program developed by the American In ternational Health Alliance. We describe the current state of health c are in Armenia and some of the problems that need to be addressed to i mprove health care services to its citizens.