Tashir Group gave a present to Stepanakert Community

September 24, Stepanakert saw ceremonious commissioning and opening of a new Sarkis and Amalia Karapetyan Republican Medical Centre. The clinic with the GBA of about 10,000 sq m is uniquely designed and constructed, equipped with advanced diagnostic and surgical appliances unsurpassed in the whole of Trans-Caucasus, and will serve all people of Nagorny Karabakh Republic (NKR).

Tashir Group has supported this charity project financially. Overall investments into construction and equipment totaled USD 22 million. The new medical centre, started in 2008, is erected in close vicinity of the old building of Stepanakert town hospital. As for today, the centre is a high-tech healthcare institution that meets best international standards. The medical centre is equipped with the best technology, has the new generation diagnostic and intensive care appliances by leading manufacturers, and can accommodate up to 136 patients at any time.

Some of the opening ceremony guests included Bako Sahakyan, NKR’s current President, and Arkadi Ghukasyan, NKR’s former President; Ovik Abramyan, Armenian Parliament Speaker; baroness Caroline Cox, a cross-bench member of the British House of Lords; Archbishop Pargev (Martirosyan), Head of Artsakh (Karabakh) Eparchy of Armenian Apostolic Church; Ashot Gulyan, Chairman of NKR National Assembly; Ara Arutyunyan, NKR Prime Minister; Zoya Lazaryan, NKR Minister of Healthcare; Samvel Karapetyan, President of Tashir Group; and other officials as well as foreign guests and expat community.

In his opening speech, NKR President Bako Sahakyan thanked Samvel Karapetyan in person for his immense contribution to healthcare development in the Republic and expressed his confidence that the commissioning of the new clinic will seriously improve the level of healthcare in NKR: “It wouldn't be an exaggeration for us to say that this medical centre meets international standards and so will help NKR citizens to stay healthy. Building this new medical centre and making it one of the Republic’s biggest would be impossible without Samvel Karapetyan. What he did is an outstanding contribution to our people’s healthcare, Republic’s key priority.”

Addressing all those present, the President emphasized that the opening is just the first, however important, step towards the centre’s full-fledge functioning: “We should do everything possible to maintain the medical equipment at its advanced level; this is the only way to ensure proper medical care of our community.”

Samvel Karapetyan, President of Tashir Group, congratulated employees, constructors and every person engaged in getting the clinic ready for this important day, saying: “Today, we are present at opening of a clinic building filled with the best modern equipment in the Republic. What you see here is a result of a joint effort of many different people and organizations, thanks to whom this medical centre is now one of the best in both country and the Caucasus region. Our key priorities have been—and stay now—are making healthcare available for everyone, medical systems improvement and citizen-centred health promotion. We take pride in the fact that Tashir Group was honored with the chance to build this clinic, so important for the Republic. I want to hereby express my gratitude to the President Bako Sahakyan for this opportunity and his confidence in us.

In her address, NKR Minister of Healthcare Zoya Lazaryan accentuated the importance of the new clinic: “Today, we inaugurate a unique medical institution, a clinic that we could only dream of and that is now a reality. It was constructed at a record pace. And it got all the latest equipment. The completion of the clinic is yet another proof of NKR Government’s commitment to provide people with highest-grade healthcare services. We express our deep gratitude and appreciation to Samvel Karapetyan for his priceless contribution to NKR healthcare system development.”

Sarkis and Amalia Karapetyan Republican Medical Centre is a multi-storey building. The clinic includes a hemodialysis department, a therapeutic, a surgical and an intensive care department, a surgery suite, and an emergency and immediate care department to contain two surgeries and resuscitation.

The clinic also got two modern critical care transport cars, the Republic's first-ever automobiles of this kind, allowing for the most advanced care on the way. The CCTs are equipped with short and long spinal boards, vacuum mattresses and vacuum splints to keep the patient from moving during transporting, as well as the latest intensive care equipment.

The construction considers seismic hazards of the region by applying modern technology and carefully chosen materials. The centre building is also equipped with advanced control and utility systems. Its design meets modern requirements to architecture and materials quality. Local materials were used for construction wherever possible. The clinic blocks are placed in a horseshoe pattern, the planning scheme combining a complex set of different functions within a holistic, technologically unified harmony. The district’s rugged landscape was considered in its design, the placement of the centre being thoroughly planned for unhindered accessibility.

The interior was made as ergonomic as possible for both comfortable accommodation and moving of patients and efficient work of the personnel. The new medical centre is equipped up to the state of the art. It has everything needed for radiographic, ultrasound, functional and endoscopic diagnosis: ECG monitors, cardiac monitors, fetal monitor, ultrasound equipment, lung ventilator, endoscopic appliances, biochemical blood analyzer, immunoenzymometric analyzer, and more. Modern surgery and intensive care blocks allow for a whole lot of high-tech operations.The yard of the clinic features a sculptural composition, a symbol of two brother republics, Armenia and Nagorny Karabakh, embodying their spiritual connection and gentle care. The clinic is ready to accommodate its first patients very soon.