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The Health Ministry of Israel has submitted a complaint to the country’s law enforcement agencies against the dentists who have studied medicine in Armenia and are currently working in Israel. As The Marker Israeli media outlet reports, the above-mentioned refers to those doctors who work at the Arabic neighborhoods of Israel.

The complaint noted that there are a large number of Israeli agents who offer their students failing exams to continue studies in Armenia. “The package of the “offered services” features housing and registration at the local university, costing a total of 10 thousand euros,” the article reads.

On arriving in Armenia, the students enter university through the help of Israeli agents’ mediators. It is noted in particular that the knowledge of the Israeli students is not checked in Armenia and they continue their studies from the second or third grade. After graduating from the university, they receive a dentist's diploma.

The source noted that the same agents help those Israeli students with Armenian diplomas to receive a license enabling them to engage in medical activities.

Earlier Israel’s Health Ministry announced about the decision on holding additional exams for graduates of Armenian medical institutions, aimed at enhancing their knowledge and granting a qualification license.
Panorama.am tried to talk to Armenia’s Ministry of Education and Science over the issue, however the latter refused to make any comments.

In the interview with Panorama.am, Shushan Danielyan, Press secretary of the Yerevan State Medical University after Mkhitar Heratsi (YSMU), said that the Israeli media reports suggesting that from now on the Armenian doctors will face certain difficulties when working in Israel do not refer to the YSMU graduates, who assume leading positions at the most prestigious health organizations in different corners of the world.

“The target of Israel’s Health Ministry is not the 100-yers old Yerevan State Medical University, which provides health workers to our country both in the peacetime and during a war. It is also important to note that only the YSMU has received institutional accreditation by the National Center for Professional Education Quality Assurance, which comes to prove that YSMU's curriculum is in line with the international standards,” Shushan Danielyan said.

She also informed that in the past 6 years, 10 Israeli students graduated from the YSMU and the university has not received any complaints over their further professional activity.

“The graduates of the YSMU are working at over 40 countries worldwide. Currently more than 1700 students from 26 countries, including from Israel, are studying at the university. Moreover, today more than 4200 YSMU students conduct successful medical activities at medical institutions of different countries in the world. Recently Jordan's state bodies have recognized YSMU's basic education qualification for all the medical specialties,” our interlocutor said.

We also attempted to receive comments from Armenia’s private universities granting medical diplomas.

Yerevan Haybusak University informed us that the university’s rector will be available only in the coming week. The dean of the university’s Faculty of Medicine Yaina Marinosyan did not reply to our calls.

An employee from St. Theresa's Medical University of Yerevan told us their university has a certificate. Asked whether there are foreign students at their university, she gave a positive reply but refused to point out their number. In response to the question whether there are Israeli students studying at the university, the woman stopped the call.