Through the efforts of MY STEP Foundation and օne of the Foundation's donors Arthur Ayvazyan, an Armenian businessman from Russia, philanthropist, originally from Vardenik village, two medical centers in Gegharkunik region received much-needed medical equipment and other supplies to fight against COVID-19.

“In addition to its key programs, the Foundation is constantly trying to respond to emerging urgent challenges. Today, such an issue is the joint fight against COVID-19. During the pandemic period, the Foundation with the support of its donors was able to perform a number of initiatives, including distribution of nutrition packages, tablets to access distance learning school classes, provision of Personal Protective Equipment for health workers, and more. We are happy and proud to have patriotic supporters by our side. This trust is very binding and inspiring,” Hovhannes Ghazaryan, the Executive Director of the Foundation, mentioned in his speech.

Unable to attend the event in person, Mr. Ayvazyan is very happy about the possibility to organize this vital donation.

“I am from Vardenik. I always try to support my native community as much as I can. I support STEP Foundation for over a year and I really appreciate their work. Their active involvement in the fight against the pandemic was visible even from afar, so I decided to take part in this humanitarian action. The moment I was informed about a need in my native region, I hurried to help our doctors, who are working hard and fighting against the pandemic. I hope this will alleviate the tension of the medical staff and increase the effectiveness of the measures taken. I am always ready to respond to urgent issues. Today, if we live outside the homeland by fate and we have the means, we should focus on Armenia and help to overcome its problems”, Mr. Ayvazyan noted during the talk with us.

A disinfection tunnel and four disinfection devices were provided to Martuni Medical Center. 20 sets of reusable medical clothing and face shields, as well as gloves and medical sheets were provided to the Center. The center has a very heavy load: more than 80 thousand beneficiaries and about 300 patients treated daily.

“It is a very urgent and much needed humanitarian support. There are two infectious disease departments at the hospital - the general infections department and another one dedicated to Coronavirus. To ensure uninterrupted workflow, it is necessary to sterilize packages before taking them to other rooms. Immediately after discharging patients, it’s needed to sterilize both visible as well as hidden areas. According to the requirements of the current standards, the sterilization of departments, chambers, laboratory instrument cabinets, auxiliary rooms will be provided by four devices that disinfect the chambers, and the disinfection tunnel. Our medical staff and the community are very grateful for this donation,” said Mr. Andranik Harutyunyan, the chief physician of Martuni Medical Center.

The same package in another batch was provided to Vardenik Health Center.