Health minister urges caution in migration debate

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan has responded to public debate on labor migrants, which intensified following comments by blogger Sona Manukyan, stressing that it is inappropriate to target people on the basis of health-related concerns.

“Public health issues do not recognize nationality, gender, race or age. Targeting labor migrants is completely unacceptable. As for tuberculosis detection and treatment, the indicators speak for themselves,” she said.

Avanesyan noted that both tuberculosis detection rates and mortality indicators have declined in recent years.

She also reminded the public that Armenians themselves work abroad as labor migrants.

At the same time, questions remain among some members of the public regarding whether labor migrants undergo the required health examinations before beginning employment, according to Auroranews.am.

The controversy followed statements by blogger Sona Manukyan about migrants arriving in Armenia for work, particularly workers from India. In her remarks, she used descriptions that critics characterized as stigmatizing, referring to migrants as “smelly,” “untidy,” and “barely speaking Armenian.”

Manukyan also mentioned the company Yandex, arguing that it would be preferable to pay Armenian workers higher wages, especially given unemployment concerns. She additionally expressed concern about the potential spread of tuberculosis among migrant populations.