“What is happening to my child, how can it be that there is no cure?”

Mariam Manukyan, 30, has been fighting for health of her son, 7-year-old Zhora, for several years now. The child fell down at the age of three on his head, but his health problems, particularly visual problems, have had appeared gradually.

“At that time, I took him to a doctor and they told me that there was no problem, but after that, my baby’s eye pupil had disappeared and I took him to some places and they assigned eyeglasses,” Maryam told during her conversation with Forrights.

After the incident, in the city of Vanadzor, the mother took him to doctors every month, they prescribed medicine, but no positive changes were recorded.

“My child’s one eye does not see, and the other one is becoming blind.” The mother, concerned with the health of her child, applied to several medical facilities in Vanadzor where she was advised to go to the Malayan Ophthalmologic Center in Yerevan.

“They examined my boy at the Malayan center and said that he should be monitored on monthly basis,” said the mother, expressing her indignation over the fact that they did not really check the boy properly and did not use special drops to see what was happening under the eye of the boy.

At the Malayan center, they gave her a piece of paper with a stamp according to which her son should receive appropriate pension.

“I came back to Vanadzor and took them the paper to the appropriate office, but the doctor there explained to me that if there was no treatment for the child, then, in addition to the blue stamp, the diagnosis of the child should be written and a red stamp put on the back of the paper,” told Mariam.

In Vanadzor, the doctor showed a sample and explained that her son could not receive pension because of the absence of the red stamp and diagnosis.

“I do not have money to go back to Yerevan,” Mariam complained, explaining that a Vanadzor citizen helped her to visit Yerevan.

“Mama, will I become blind?”

Mariam told us that the doctor in Malayan Ophthalmologic Center, whose name she could not remember, said in presence of her 7-year-old son that his health condition was not curable, so they should adapt to the situation and return to Vanadzor.

“I’m fighting for my baby to be cured. Now he attends school and gets upset because of his vision; he constantly asks me, “Mama, will I become blind?”

“The same doctor told me to go and sit at home, your son will become blind whenever he will,” tells Mariam barely holding her tears.

7-year-old Zhora has an innate illness

“He has epilepsy for 7 years, I am fighting against it, but they say that there is no cure,” said the mother, noting that her child did not get those medicines appropriated for him. Mariam applied to the psychiatric hospital in Vanadzor to get the medication; there she was helped, they registered her son, and now he gets his medication every month free of charge and regularly receives proper medical examinations.

“There was a good doctor there, he registered my child and now he calls us every month. We passed the commission and the child started receiving pension for his epilepsy,” said Mariam.

“How can it be that there is no cure? He’s not well, and, if he’s blinded, how can I take care of him?”

If they had the paper with an appropriate diagnosis and seal of the ophthalmologist, Zhora’s pension would have increased.

“I cannot get to Yerevan all the time, but I will be able to if I got the money. My baby is wearing pampers; he does not realize he is doing it,” explained Mariam, adding that her husband also has health problems, his leg was prosthetic, so he could hardly take care of the home problems and the three children.

“I want my child to get well; I don’t want this pension, just let my son be cured,” said Mariam, assuring that she would look for a job after the children grow up a little.

Mariam told that there were a lot of people who suggested to hand over Zhora to Special Care Centers.

“I cannot do such a thing: whatever wrong with him, he still is my baby, he is not guilty that he was born that way. How could there be no treatment? He already is not well and if in addition he goes blind, how would I take care of him? “

The doctor in Vanadzor said that Zhora’s epilepsy, as well as his nervous system, are getting worse.

Mariam assured that she will write a letter to the Ministry of Health asking to help her son in some way.

Azniv Siradeghyan

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