“The profession of a nurse is not just a job, it’s a calling,” says Gohar, a dedicated nurse who has cared for her community in rural Armenia for many years. To her patients, she is not only a health-care professional – she is also a friend and a confidant.
“I chose to become a nurse because I had always wanted to help people and ease their pain,” Gohar shares with a gentle smile. “This work takes more than skill. It takes patience, care and a great love for people.”
Gohar serves 3 villages with a combined population of about 4400. In these rural communities, nurses like her look after thousands of lives, stories and destinies. Together, they are the lifeblood of local health care.
Her day starts early, often before sunrise, with phone calls and visits from patients. Some seek medical advice, others simply need reassurance. “Sometimes,” she says softly, “people just want to be heard and understood.”
Gohar believes that primary health care is the first and most important link in the health-care system – a bridge between the community and the wider health network. “Everything begins with that first connection,” she explains.
“A caring approach prevents complications and builds trust. When the first link is strong, the whole community becomes healthier and more resilient.”
Making connections
To strengthen that first link, the Ministry of Health of Armenia and WHO, alongside the European Union (EU), are working together to build a more robust foundation for primary health care – the cornerstone of universal health coverage and a healthier Armenia.
This collaboration is part of the EU-funded project “Health Resilience in the Eastern Partnership,” a multiyear collaboration with the European Commission’s Directorate-General for Enlargement and the Eastern Neighbourhood to promote health system resilience in the 5 countries in the Eastern Partnership, including Armenia.
The project lays the foundations for quality, affordable care for everyone everywhere in Armenia through a review of regulations and licensing of health workforce, leadership training for policy-makers, health labour market analysis, workforce forecast and planning, as well as a review of workforce migration and retention policies.