We Should Not Increase Funds for Stroke, Cancer, but Prevent These Diseases: Minister

We should not increase the funds for stroke, cancer, or heart stenting; instead, we should ensure that people do not acquire these diseases, and the main risk factor for the aforementioned diseases is smoking.

This was stated today by Minister of Health Arsen Torosyan during a meeting of the National Assembly's Standing Committee on Human Rights and Public Affairs, emphasizing that they want to combat this risk factor.

"We are trying to go in the direction that all civilized countries have taken, because fighting against smoking is a civilizational choice. That is, do we want to remain a third-world country, where everything can be done to the detriment of the population, or are we ready to take the path of reducing that harm and, one happy day, say 30-40 years from now, not have that risk anymore?" he said.

Addressing the issue of closing hookah establishments and the resulting unemployment, the minister cited the example of casinos that once operated in Yerevan: "There were casinos in Yerevan at one time, and one day it was decided to close them. What did their owners do? They had time, some moved outside of Yerevan, some changed their field of activity, and some decided they would not engage in that business anymore. The state is also defined by how it regulates all these issues," he said.