MIAMI — FIDEC Armenia’s Medical Director and infectious diseases specialist, Dr. Pablo Elmassian completed a solidarity ultramarathon from Buenos Aires to Montevideo, covering a distance of 600 kilometers in 14 consecutive days. The campaign, titled “Moving Forward to Improve Healthcare in Armenia,” launched last December, received significant support, raising around $122,000 for health programs in vulnerable rural communities in the Shirak province.
Dr. Elmassian’s run from Argentina to Uruguay concluded with a celebratory event in Plaza Armenia, Montevideo, attended by Armenian and Uruguayan authorities. “This extraordinary achievement by Dr. Elmassian demonstrates his unwavering commitment to improving health in Armenia and also highlights the resilience and solidarity of the Armenian community worldwide,” said Dr. Daniel Stamboulian, President of the FIDEC Armenia Foundation.
FIDEC Armenia’s comprehensive health programs ensured free, high-quality medical services for the vulnerable rural population excluded from the Armenian government’s Basic Benefit Package (BBP). In 2022, with the financial support of the Armenian-Argentinian community, the program was successfully implemented in the communities of Horom and Pemzashen in the Artik region. Dr. Elmassian’s solidarity ultramarathon allowed the program to be extended in 2023-2024 to also cover the communities of Jajur and Akhurik in the Akhuryan region.
A generous donation from the Armenia Fund of Argentina (Fundacion Armenia), an institutional partner of FIDEC Armenia, supplemented the funds raised through this solidarity campaign. This donation enabled the provision of treatment for six months to 600 patients with chronic diseases in the communities of Akhurik and Jajur.
“We believe that investing in health is not just a moral imperative but a strategic necessity for the well-being of communities in our fatherland Armenia. Through our steadfast commitment and collaborative efforts for the past two years, we complemented FIDEC Armenia’s healthcare programs with vital medication, thus helping them build the culture of preventive healthcare among the rural population,” said Alejandro Kalpakian, President of Fundacion Armenia.
FIDEC Armenia aims to achieve an additional fundraising goal of $150,000 to carry out personalized healthcare interventions for refugees who had to flee Artsakh and resettle in rural communities in the Armavir and Ararat provinces. To contribute, visit: www.runningforarmenia.com, where every donation, no matter how small, will significantly impact the lives of Armenians in need.
