YEREVAN, June 25. /ARKA/. Members of the Board of Trustees and the CEO of the Universal Health Insurance Fund have been elected in Armenia, the government press service reported.
Meetings of the selection committee, chaired by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, were held on June 23 and 24.
Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan reported that the competition was held in two stages. In the first stage, applications were reviewed and candidates who met the established requirements were selected. In the second stage, they were interviewed, after which the vote took place.
Following a competition, Shant Shekherdimyan, Director of Pediatric Surgery at the University of California, Los Angeles Hospital; Varduhi Petrosyan, Dean of the School of Public Health at the American University of Armenia; Artashes Tonoyan, Director of the Yerevan Office of the World Trade Center; Tumas Pal, Advisor to the WHO Ukraine Office; and Khodam Rostomyan, Regional Director of Kaiser Permanente; were elected as Director General of the Foundation.
Ruben Melkonyan, Chief Financial Officer of Bereke Bank Kazakhstan, was elected Director General of the Foundation.
Pashinyan called the universal health insurance system a significant and transformative reform for Armenia. He stated that the government is transferring management of the Foundation to the elected members of the Board of Trustees and the Director General, while maintaining a key role in policy development in this area.
The Prime Minister also noted that the goal ahead is to include the entire country’s population in the universal health insurance system.
About the Compulsory Health Insurance System in Armenia
The compulsory health insurance system will be implemented in Armenia on January 1, 2026.
During the first stage of the three-year reform (2026–2028), 1.7 million Armenian residents were included in the system. Group 1 includes citizens with salaries between 200,000 and 500,000 drams; Group 2 includes minors under 18, individuals aged 18–65 with disabilities (Groups I, II, and III); citizens aged 65 and older; and socially vulnerable families. For the second group, the state covers 100% of the costs.
In the second stage, beginning in 2027, the system will include individuals with salaries up to 200,000 drams, and from 2028, the remaining groups, including those employed in agriculture and their families, will be included.
The estimated cost of the health insurance package is 129,600 drams per year, with the option of monthly payments. The insurance package covers the most in-demand medical services, including outpatient care, family doctor visits, specialist consultations, and laboratory tests (within a set annual limit). The list of services will be gradually expanded and refined, including certain surgical procedures, such as ophthalmological (cataracts), cardiovascular, and other procedures.
The 2026 state budget of Armenia allocates 127 billion drams for the implementation of the compulsory health insurance system.
