VivaCell-MTS General Manager Ralph Yirikian and BirthLink NGO director Kathy Mellor, as well as a group of neonatologists from Yerevan, visited a maternity house and Austrian Children’s Hospital in Gyumri.

For already three years Armenia’s Leading Mobile Operator VivaCell-MTS and BirthLink have been working toward reducing the rate of infant mortality in Armenia. The total cost of the project for the last three years is AMD 214 thousand. In 2008 and 2009 equipment worth of AMD 144 million was installed in 11 medical centers of Yerevan.

The new phase of the project implementation in 2010 with a focus on the regions will guarantee the minimization of infant mortality cases in the vulnerable regions including borderland villages, which face shortage in essential medical equipment, and the geographical access to the hospitals in the capital city is a significant problem. Throughout 2010 neonatal care equipment was installed in 7 medical institutions; the equipment includes respiratory therapy and ultrasound systems, diagnostic monitors, intensive care cot and reanimation apparatuses, pulse oximeters, heated blankets and radiant heaters.

The project’s cost for 2010 is AMD 70 million.