YEREVAN, DECEMBER 19, NOYAN TAPAN. In January-November 2006, the number of visits to Yerevan polyclinics made 1 million 664 thousand, exceeding by 29.1% the index of the same period of last year. Armen Soghoyan, Head of the Health and Social Security Department of Yerevan Mayor's office, stated this during the December 18 press conference. According to him, in the 11 months of this year, the number of visits to family practitioners increased by 25%, to pediatricians - by 20%, and to narrow specialists - by 47.7%. The number of laboratory examinations grew by 40.6% in the indicated period on the same months of 2005. A. Soghoyan said that provision of free medicines to the city population is continuing: medicines of 280 mln drams (about 700 thousand USD) were provided in January-November 2006. The number of births in Yerevan grew by 3% in the eleven months of 2006 on the same period of last year and made 13,181, while mortality declined by 7.7%. A. Soghoyan announced that starting January 1, 2007, citizens may choose doctors and medical institutions, whose medical aid they prefer to receive. 2,300 citizens may be registered to receive services of a doctor. It was noted that 148 family doctors and 11 nurses have already undergone training under the World Bank credit program.

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