YEREVAN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 01st April, 2020) Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has approved amendments for the medical help law, which prohibits post mortem examinations of people who have died from COVID-19, the presidential office said on Wednesday.
"On April 1, [President] Sarkissian signed a number of laws, including on amending the law On Medical Assistance and Service to the Population," the office said in a statement obtained by Sputnik, adding that, per the amendments, autopsies are not to be conducted for COVID-19 cases.
Deputy Health Minister Anahit Avanesyan told journalists that these amendments were required due to the tense epidemiological situation in the country. They also followed the recommendations of the World Health Organization on how to deal with the outbreak.
Avanesyan noted that Armenia's post mortem examination services cannot conduct autopsies on deceased COVID-19 patients, as these services do not meet the international safety requirements. She specified that this does not cover forensic examinations.
There are currently 571 confirmed cases in the country, with the death toll standing at 3, according to the Health Ministry.
