In December 2014, news spread among citizens of the Aran region that their access to quality medical care was about to improve with the inauguration of three new Medical Points - two in Imishli and one in Sabirabad. The new Medical Points, rebuilt with support from EWMI’s Socio-Economic Development Activity (SEDA) in Azerbaijan, will provide nearly 3,000 people with easier access to improved health care facilities and services. Each Medical Point consists of two rooms for medical services and one corridor for waiting patients.
Prior to the construction of the new Medical Points, residents of Agamammadli, Aliyetmezli, and Garalar villages could not access adequate medical care due to either the complete absence of facilities or the longstanding poor condition of existing Medical Point buildings and old, broken equipment. Children and the elderly especially suffered from the lack of basic medical services.
“The construction of this facility is a clear example of successful cooperation between the governments of the United States and Azerbaijan to assist local communities address important needs,” said Mr. Dereck Hogan, Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baku. He also thanked the community for their dedication to mobilize local resources to improve their living conditions. Zumrud Tagiyeva, a member of Aliyetmezli community, is passionate about improving opportunities for people to receive the necessary medical care. “Every person may face a time in their life when they are in need of medical attention,” she says. “Receiving quality medical care is that person’s human right. One of the difficulties we were en-countering was the absence of a refrigerator in the former Medical Point for storage of medications, so community members were obliged to travel to the regional center to purchase medications.”
Mr. Yengibar Huseynov, Agamammadli Community Development Committee (CDC) Coordinator, remarked: “I want to express my deepest gratitude to SEDA for the implementation and funding of this wonderful project. Finally, our dream has come true. After years, the Agamammadli village community has a newly constructed Medical Point that will serve the entire village.”
Residents of the communities, representatives of the local Executive Committees and the municipality, officials from the Ministry of Econo-my and Industry, the Chargé d’Affaires of the U.S. Embassy in Baku, and USAID/Azerbaijan Mission Director participated in the opening ceremonies of new medical facilities.
The Socio-Economic Development Activity in Azerbaijan is a five-year project funded by the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and co-financed by the Government of Azerbaijan.