A1Plus  The 2011 state budget will allocate 62 bln 543 mln drams to healthcare, which makes 1.66% of the GDP.

Deputy Finance Minister Pavel Safaryan today announced in the National Assembly that the sphere was to receive about 2% of the GDP under the sustainable growth programme. He explained the discrepancy between the draft state budget and sustainable growth programme by the global economic crisis.

If the Ministry of Justice receives a loan of $20 million from the World Bank, the funding will make 2% of the GDP. The negotiations are under way, said the deputy finance minister.

The average salary of doctors will total AMD 84.700 against the current 77,000, and that of nurses - AMD 54,000 against the current 43 000.

Mr. Safaryan noted that the salaries of medical staff are determined by medical institutions.

Minister of Healthcare Harutyun Kushkyan reminded that the country's leading medical centers - Erebuni, Armenia, Girgor Lusavoritch and Nairi would shift to the system of co-payment in 2011. The new system has already been tested in Arabkir medical center and the results are promising.

Deputy Vardan Bostanjyan observed that a layer of society leaves huge sums in hospitals as a sign of "gratitude." In reply, Mr. Kushkyan said that the so-called "gratitude" should not be confused with bribery.

Heritage MP Armen Martirosyan said that doctors give a part of their "informal" income to their superiors.
"I advise doctors against sharing money with head physicians. Anyway, if they are pressurized, they can appeal to the Ministry of Health," said Harutyun Kushkyan.