Health systems in action: Armenia: 2022 edition

Overview

Armenia has a decentralized health system, with the Ministry of Health acting as the single payer for publicly funded health services. The country is taking coordinated efforts toward achieving universal health coverage, with an emphasis on expanding the Basic Benefits Package. Since 2019, there has been a steady increase in coverage of services due to an increase in the health budget. However, there are still high levels of out-of-pocket payments which has repercussions for financial protection and accessibility, especially for vulnerable groups.

Recent reforms have aimed at addressing the rising burden of noncommunicable diseases, especially through screening and tobacco-control programmes. The COVID-19 pandemic and armed conflict have resulted in an excess mortality in 2020–2021 that far exceeded the average of the WHO European Region. Armenia has comparatively low antibiotic usage rates, and the country had progressed in tackling antimicrobial resistance until 2020, when the consumption of antibiotics sharply increased because of the COVID-19 pandemic.