The Armenian Healthcare Crisis is Resulting in Alarming Rates of Late Stage Cancer Diagnosis and Fatality Rates 7 Times That of the US
BY SAMANTHA FEINBERG
Armenia is facing a healthcare crisis, and the Children of Armenia Fund is stepping in to reverse it. Lack of routine healthcare in rural areas gives the upper hand to killers like cancer, heart disease, and even diabetes, causing many diagnoses to be made far too late. COAF is paving the way against the lack of medical care by providing free of charge healthcare rural Armenian villages.
In Armenia, the 22 percent death rate following cancer diagnosis is eight times higher than the 2.8% death rate in the United States. This is primarily due to cancer going undiagnosed until it progresses into stages three and four, for which treatment is financially unattainable for patients. Once a diagnosis is made, individuals are often faced with the financial burden of late-stage cancer treatment, and are forced to sell their homes.
COAF’s partnership with the Armenian American Health Professionals Organization is bringing experienced specialists to the villages, allowing patients to receive free treatment advice for their diagnoses. “We have gynecologists, an oncologist/hematologist, a vascular surgeon, a dentist, a psychiatrist, a nutritionist and a medical assistant in our team,â€
