Tuesday, May 30 2017 17:09

ArmInfo.The French Sanofi Group of Companies, the Ministry of Health of Armenia and the World Association of Social Psychiatry have united to provide the citizens  of the country with better access to the treatment of mental  disorders. The program, with a duration of three years, aims to  provide medical care to people suffering from schizophrenia and deep  depression, is designed to significantly reduce the level of these  diseases. The program is based on the principles of public-private  partnership. According to Jean-Francois Charpentier, the Ambassador  of France to Armenia, who was present at the launch of the program,  noted that the Armenian-French partnership in the field of healthcare  is one of the priorities. He informed that this year, with the  assistance of Business France and the Ministry of Health of Armenia,  the days of France will be held in Armenia, where further issues of  cooperation in this sphere will be discussed and new horizons for  cooperation will open.

As the General Psychiatrist of Armenia Samvel Torosyan informed  previously, the new program is based on successful pilot project,  which is implemented during last 2 years in Yerevan. The basic  program is to be implemented in 6 regions of Armenia and is for  treatment of not only mental abnormalities. The program includes  training of 600 specialists for first aid and 180 specialists on  mental health. 

As Francois Bompart, vice president of access to medicines for  Sanofi, said, "Armenia has a very developed healthcare system, much  more developed than in many other countries with which we cooperate."  In the opinion of the president of the International Association of  Psychiatry, Professor Tom Craig, depression has become a very common  disease and it suffers from 10 to 15% of the population, but more  than 80% of them are not considered sick. He noted that depression is  not just a bad mood, it is a problem that makes a person indifferent  to everything. It is most often observed in people suffering from  such diseases as oncology, cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, as well  as among women in labor. Therefore, the implementation of the program  in Armenia will have an important social significance.

To note, Sanofi Group of Companies is one of the global leaders in  healthcare and develops, manufactures and markets various  medications. The company according to own estimates by the volume of  sales of medicines takes the 4th place in the world and the 2nd place  in Europe