KASHATAGH, Artsakh—Throughout the liberated region of Kashatagh, accessible medical care is scarce because of poor roads and transportation. Until recently, village-based facilities were practically nonexistent, and medical emergencies such as snakebites, sudden illnesses, and even childbirths often resulted in casualties.
Doctors and patients in front of the Ishkhanadzor Clinic (Photo: Tufenkian Foundation)
To address these concerns, the New York-based Tufenkian Foundation has implemented initiatives to provide more comprehensive healthcare for resettlers. The construction of the primary clinic in Ishkhanadzor was one of those initiatives.
The clinic was built and equipped by the foundation during 2004-2006 and serves several thousand Armenians living in Ishkhanadzor and the neighboring communities—a total of 16 villages.
As the key healthcare provider serving this cluster of remote villages, the clinic has proved to be a vital part of the village infrastructure and an important contributor to the health and wellbeing of the villagers.
Today, more than a decade after opening its doors, the clinic is in need of urgent renovation. The walls, flooring, windows and the external façade of the building all require substantial improvement.
The Ishkhanadzor Clinic during renovations (Photo: Tufenkian Foundation)
Realizing the importance of this facility for Ishkhanadzor and all of southern Kashatagh, the Tufenkian Foundation took up the renovation of the clinic several weeks ago. The improvements will ensure the maintenance of the building well into the future.
As with all construction efforts carried out by the Tufenkian Foundation, local workers are employed in the renovation of the clinic.
The Ishkhanadzor village, a growing rural community in the strategically vital Kashatagh region, has been a part of the foundation’s resettlement and development efforts throughout the recent years. During this time, in addition to building and equipping the clinic, the foundation has reconstructed war-torn houses and build new homes for resettlers.
A worker from Kashatagh (Photo: Tufenkian Foundation)
The foundation has also taken up targeted efforts to support Syrian-Armenian refugees willing to resettle in this village, including through provision of housing.
The construction and renovation of the Ishkhanadzor clinic is not the only initiative of the Tufenkian Foundation aimed at improving the healthcare situation in liberated Kashatagh. Since 2005, the Tufenkian foundation has built and equipped other, smaller clinics—notably those in Msheni and Aghavnatun—in remote areas.
The clinic in Aghavnatun (Photo: One Armenia)
In addition to building and renovating clinics, the foundation operated a mobile clinic throughout 2008-2010. This supplementary service provided medical care to 2,000 people, including 597 children, during its operations.
The post Better Healthcare for Artsakh: Renovating a Clinic in Kashatagh appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.
Source: Armenian Weekly
Link: Better Healthcare for Artsakh: Renovating a Clinic in Kashatagh