Armenian healthcare minister warns of serious crisis in Nagorno Karabakh

YEREVAN, JULY 20, ARMENPRESS. Nagorno Karabakh’s healthcare system is experiencing a crisis just like all other areas, Minister of Healthcare of Armenia Anahit Avanesyan told reporters on July 20.

“Right now there are patients requiring transfer to Armenia for treatment. I’ve had contact this morning, and we expect a swift transfer,” Avanesyan told reporters.

She said that Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) hospitals have suspended all planned surgeries and other procedures and reserves of medications are used only in urgent cases.

“Reserves of medications are certainly not endless in Artsakh, this situation constitutes a serious healthcare crisis because right now the entire process is disrupted, and medical supplies are not entering Artsakh,” she said.

Avanesyan said she is conveying information on the situation to all international partners, the Armenian Human Rights Defender and the Representative of Armenia before the European Court of Human Rights. “And this is all being documented in order to serve as a basis for certain sanctions in the future. The answers we’ve received thus far are unsatisfactory because the only road linking Artsakh with Armenia remains closed,” Avanesyan said.

Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting Nagorno Karabakh with Armenia and the rest of the world, has been blocked by Azerbaijan since December 2022. The Azerbaijani blockade constitutes a gross violation of the 2020 Nagorno Karabakh ceasefire agreement, which established that the 5km-wide Lachin Corridor shall be under the control of Russian peacekeepers. Furthermore, on February 22, 2023 the United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) - ordered Azerbaijan to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. Azerbaijan has been ignoring the order ever since. Moreover, Azerbaijan then illegally installed a checkpoint on Lachin Corridor. The blockade has led to shortages of essential products such as food and medication. Azerbaijan has also cut off gas and power supply into Nagorno Karabakh, with officials warning that Baku seeks to commit ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh. Hospitals have suspended normal operations and the Red Cross has been facilitating the medical evacuations of patients.