Armenians have a lack of trust in medicine, says former KVN participant

Armen Hakobjanyan, former member of a well-known KVN team called YerMI, is now a successful and famous doctor and has his own clinic in Los-Angeles. In his interview to NEWS.am Medicine he spoke about how he went to the USA and what he thinks about Armenia’s healthcare system.

Dear Dr. Hagopjanian. Why did you chose USA for your medical career ?

I was always fascinated by the level of medical training in the US. The knowledge and hands-on experience of any young doctor in the US cannot be compared to even many western European countries, like Germany or France. Moreover, the medical practice in the US has no limits, and any drug or instrumentation is always readily available. Of course, times have changed, and many hospitals in Armenia and Russia now possess the same instrumentation we use in the US. But unfortunately, from my personal observation, many doctors in Armenia and Russia still do not know how to use their "toys."

Can you tell us about your clinic?

I established Los Angeles Institute of Foot and Ankle Surgery in 2003. Thus far, we have performed over 5,000 surgeries and seen over 50,000 patients. We have patients driving from Northern California, Nevada, Arizona and even New York to be treated in our clinic.

Are there any Armenians working there?

Of course, but we choose our employees based on their knowledge and skills rather than by their nationality. We have representatives of every race in our clinic. It is amazing how cultures mix in working environment. And although our Armenian patients are usually late for their appointments, our Armenian employees are always on time.

What is charity for you? We know that you are involved in many programs, please introduce our readers to some of them …

Medicine IS charity. Each doctor treats patients because of desire to help them rather than desire to get paid for it. The charity is being done on a daily basis by any doctors. 20-25% of our emergency patients are uninsured and do not have any means to pay for our services. Nevertheless, we treat them the same way we treat patients with the best insurance. But there are also consciously organized charity projects, when we travel to underdeveloped third world countries and treat patients for free. For example, Crippled Children Project was established many years ago in the city of Mexicali, Mexico. Prenatal care is almost completely absent in rural areas of Latin America, and many children are born with horrific deformities. Treating these children is not only unforgettable experience, but also educational.

What kind of operations do you do in your clinic that are not available in Armenia yet?

Why only in Armenia? I performed more Total Ankle Replacements in Southern California than any other surgeon. Our institute remain the leader in preservation of mobility and advanced surgical treatment for foot and ankle. Many procedures, such as lateral ankle reconstruction or correction of pediatric bunions were developed by me and my partners. I am a consultant for Arthrex and Small Bone Innovations (SBI), two major companies developing orthopedic instrumentation. With constant educational seminars and never ending experiments, we continuously improve surgical technique. But the advanced treatment includes not only surgeries. Our clinic was one of the first to offer experimental injections of Platelet Rich Plasma and Stem Cells. These injections saved many patients from surgeries.

Do you have any cooperation with Armenian medical centers ?

Although I have many friends in Armenian medical centers, our cooperation never went beyond shipping medical instruments from the US to Armenia.

How can you rate Armenian Healthcare system ? What kind of changes do you expect?

I don't believe that Armenia has a Healthcare system. Each hospital, each clinic work as separate entities. There is no established standard of care. There is a generalized lack of trust in medicine in Armenia. Armenia urgently needs improved education and training for doctors and, what is more important, for nurses!

Dr. Armen Hagopjanian is Board Certified in Foot and Ankle Surgery and Reconstructive Rearfoot and Ankle Surgery. He started his medical education in Yerevan State Medical Institute in Armenia. In the US, he successfully continued his pursuit of medical career. He received his degree of Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Molecular Genetics from University of California Los Angeles (UCLA). He later graduated from California College of Podiatric Medicine (currently Samuel Merritt College) with the degree of Doctor of Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Hagopjanian completed his surgical residency at Western Medical Center in Orange County.

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