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Residents of Yeghvard, a town and urban municipal community in Armenia's Kotayk Province, continue protesting the government’s decision to close the local maternity hospital.

The protests were sparked by the decision of the Ministry of Health that mandated the closure of state-funded maternity hospitals handling fewer than 150 childbirths annually.

Protesters claim the maternity hospital caters to more than 18 villages, adding Yerevan is hard to reach for many villagers especially during the winter months.

“Let them close maternity hospitals in Yerevan, not the one here. The employees of this hospital should be granted a hero’s title, since they have held firm to the hospital and saved human lives. And now they want to close the hospital, why?” protesters state, adding the closure of the hospital will leave 10 people unemployed. .

They stress before talking about a demographic growth the government needs to provide people with jobs for them to be able to take care of their children.

“This hospital employs 10 people, let them dismiss that 10 people, what next?” a protester complained.