Good example of UK-Armenia collaboration in Healthcare

Katherine Leach

10 years ago

I really enjoyed my visit on Saturday to Armenak & Ann Tadevossian’s medical centre in Kosh, a great example of a UK diaspora project. This is a newly-built, well-equipped polyclinic which, thanks to the generosity of diaspora and local business donors, runs rehabilitation services for children with disabilities during the week, and offers specialist appointments with doctors from Yerevan at the weekend.

The Centre hosted a training session for doctors at the weekend in the use of a device to help doctors and women in checking for breast cancer. Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in the world. My grandmother was one of the lucky ones who caught her breast cancer early, had it treated, and had another 20 years of healthy life.

The Armenian-British Business Chamber is using some of the money raised by the annual Burns Supper to purchase ‘Breastlight’ devices for all the polyclinics in the wider region. Breastlight cannot take the place of a regular mam

mogram – the best and most reliable way to spot breast cancer. But every woman should be doing a monthly self-examination to spot any changes, and this device can help women and their doctors look more closely at the breast tissue in between mammogram screenings.