Armenia

 Work with our partners ACMA is once again continuing to develop. A PRIME team visited for the 10th Anniversary celebration and delivered some teaching at their annual conference. We welcomed two senior ACMA colleagues to the PRIME International Annual Conference, which provided a good opportunity to discuss plans in more detail and to raise their understanding of PRIME’s vision and ethos. We are making plans for further family medicine, nursing, palliative care and disaster medicine teaching

A PRIME team contributed to the 3rd International Symposium of Family Medicine, a two-day GP update conference for approximately 400 GPs organised by the Yerevan State Medical University Faculty of Family Medicine in conjunction with Armenian Medical Association of Great Britain and GPs from Sweden. One of our tutors was also interviewed by Medical News AM prior to the conference and the article was published online both in Russian and Armenian a few weeks later and therefore reached an even wider audience. They have very succinctly put together the concept of whole person medicine, treating the whole person not just the physical illness, and how this ultimately improved doctor-patient partnership and health outcomes. 

Another PRIME team contributed to the Armenian Christian Medical Association 10th anniversary celebrations and the 11th ACMA Annual Conference in September. The team included representatives from the fields of nursing, palliative care and disaster management.

PRIME has completed a three year programme aimed at introducing palliative care to the country. The Palliative Care Workbook has been translated into Armenian and supports the PRIME programme which also includes communications skills, whole person care, bereavement and ethical issues as well as the clinical and theoretical aspects of care for patients. As part of the programme a PRIME team visited the only hospice in Armenia, established for three years, and with eight beds, for a teaching session. 

Over the years we have supported family doctors in Armenia through a series of conferences for GPs and GP residents and been able to support and train a key individual who is one of the only people supporting primary care in Armenia. 

PRIME teams have also led disaster response and emergency first aid training, nurse and faculty training and teaching programmes at the National Institute of Health and the Haematology Centre in Yerevan as well as running sessions at the first international Nursing Congress.