When thinking about hospitals in Armenia, many people visualize old equipment and antiquated tools. In the past two months, the experience I’ve had interning at Wigmore Clinic, a British-built medical center in Yerevan, has been both unforgettable and full of memorable experiences.
Wigmore is a dynamic and rapidly growing medical center that has a commitment to evidence-based clinical practice. During this time I had the pleasure of interning with three different doctors. I spent most of my time with Dr. Garen Koloyan who is the head of pediatric orthopedics services at Wigmore Clinic, as well as being one of the best orthopedic surgeons in all of Armenia. I was able to learn a lot from him during both clinical and surgical hours.
Towards the end of my internship, I was able to shadow Dr. Max Aebi from Switzerland and Dr. Francois Antounian from San Francisco. They had flown to Armenia to work with Dr. Koloyan to teach the doctors at Wigmore Clinic more technologically advanced forms of care and to perform surgeries not done by Dr. Koloyan.
After 126 hours of shadowing Dr. Koloyan, I can say that no matter the circumstance he would always put the patient’s health and care first. There were many incidents where the proper equipment couldn’t be found or sold to Armenia, and he was able to find detours in his work to successfully treat the patient.
The lack of care in Armenia caused me to think about why young Armenian patients aren’t able to have access to the same medical care as other kids their age in America. I came to the conclusion that in the future, if this is still an issue in the homeland, no matter my career path, bringing the proper medical equipment to Armenia is something that I will be doing. Whether by forming factories in Armenia or by importing them from outside, I have to make sure that every person in Armenia gets the same care as they would outside of Armenia.
We are proud of everything we have created, and we will continue to move forward in developing the healthcare sector in our country and providing decent medical care to the people.
Leon Voskanian
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What an amazing mission. It is reassuring to hear that there are medical professionals, like Dr. Koloyan, in Armenia who go the extra mile to ensure the wellbeing of their patients. Even more so, it is inspiring to see aspiring medical students, like yourself and the other interns at Wigmore Clinic, with such a passion for expanding healthcare in Armenia.
Thanks for your good work with Dr. Koloyan. The clinic is starting an extension to help children. Was wondering if there was a chance that you could do a short video about your experience there. Thanks.