Armenia’s Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan recently refused to receive well-known Armenian American plastic surgeon and founder of ARMIN Benevolent NGO Arthur Salibian, reports President of ARMIN Benevolent NGO Lusine Avagyan.

Avagyan stated that on June 18, Salibian waited in the minister’s reception hall for nearly 40 minutes, and after the minister asked one of his employees who was waiting for him, the employee announced that the minister was very busy and had no time to receive the plastic surgeon.

Arthur Salibian is a well-known Armenian American plastic surgeon who has performed free surgeries for over 100 women suffering from breast cancer in Armenia for years.

“Today everyone knows that surgeries for people suffering from cancer are performed within the scope of a state order, but the reality is that the fact that breast cancer surgery is followed by a recovery period, that is, recovery of the breast which must be performed by allowing the breast to recover on its own, and Armenian American plastic surgeon Arthur Salibian performs this through his personal funds twice a year in Armenia.

Mr. Salibian simply wanted to meet the healthcare minister and provide him with information about the need for recovery of the breast through skin care, receive government support for implementation of the project, engage other funds and foundations through his non-governmental organization and discuss other issues,” Avagyan said.