Epress.am News from Armenia
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense is refusing financial support to Razmik Yolchyan, a 26-year-old native of the town of Gavar who fell ill with chickenpox during military service and subsequently lost his eyesight due to an inflammatory response.
“Your illness came up neither as a result of an injury received during combat duty nor while carrying out military duties, therefore you are not eligible for treatment abroad at the expense of state budget funds,” the Defense Ministry wrote to the former soldier, citing the corresponding Armenian law.
Note, in addition to asking for financial support, Yolchyan had also appealed to the Defense Ministry, requesting a meeting with minister Vigen Sargsyan. The meeting request, however, has also been denied.
Razmik Yolchyan was drafted into the Armenian Armed Forces in 2009. While in the army, Yolchyan fell ill with chickenpox, which subsequently elicited an inflammatory response in his body that triggered a sudden visual loss. Over time, the young man went completely blind in one eye, and he has only 2 percent of his vision in the other one. Yolchyan has been advised by local doctors to immediately seek medical treatment abroad if he wants to save his eyesight.