Background

There are over 9,000 disabled veterans in Armenia. After being discharged from military service, these young men face  social, economic and healthcare challenges, some of which include:

• Lack of medication and other care products in the military hospitals,
  
• Delay in receiving state support benefits while waiting for disability status (which usually takes up to several months),
• No access to certain innovative and expensive medical services and tests,
• Long waiting periods at hospitals,
• Mental health issues,
• Severe housing conditions,
• Poor professional education and career opportunities for army veterans with disabilities,
• Complications with reintegration into society.

To address the above-mentioned issues, in 2018 the "Hayreniki Pashtpan" Rehabilitation Center was founded by the "Support for the Wounded Soldiers and Soldiers with Disabilities" NGO in cooperation with the Ministry of Defense of RA and Yerevan State Medical University.

The goal of the project is to support the rehabilitation of wounded soldiers and army veterans with disabilities at the "Hayreniki Pashtpan" Rehabilitation Center. The Center also supports the social reintegration of its beneficiaries through providing vocational education and career opportunities.

Project Activities

For project implementation, the “Hayreniki Pashtpani” Rehabilitation Center was allocated 194,800,000 AMD by My Step Foundation for the following activities:

• Rehabilitation treatment and care.
• Provision of medications, other care products and food.
• Acquiring and maintaining medical equipment.
• Increasing capacity of the Center.
• Training medical staff.
• Increasing capacities of the Center.
• Provide training and employment opportunities to project beneficiaries.

The Center provides services to the patients in the following ways:

• Inpatient care (32 beds).
• Outpatient care (up to 100 patients).
• In-house medical services (up to 20 patients).

Expected Outcome/Impact

• Treatment of more than 700 wounded soldiers or army veterans with disabilities annually.
• Increased capacity of the Center with 16 more beds.
• Providing 100 patients with mobility aids and equipment.
• New sport hall for rehabilitation therapy with physiotherapy equipment.
• Opening of an Emergency Center and First Aid Room with appropriate equipment.
• 5 new intensive care specialists at the Center.
• Preventing lifelong disability for 50 patients annually due to timely treatment.
• Improved housing conditions for 20 beneficiaries within 2019.
• Social reintegration of up to 700 beneficiaries annually through vocational education and job opportunities.