Fifty cardiologists from different countries around the world, as well as 180 cardiologists from Armenia and Artsakh participated in the 4^th Euro-Caucasian Congress of Cardiology that kicked off on October 25. The event was organized by the RA Ministry of Diaspora and Health Action Armenia-France.

“Hayern Aysor”’s correspondent sat down for an interview with Syrian-Armenian doctor-cardiologists Zatik Hovhannes-Balabanian, who has moved to Armenia and has been hired at Kankor Cardiovascular Clinic.

“Hayern Aysor”: Mr. Hovhannes-Balabanian, where did you study cardiology?

Zatik Hovhannes-Balabanian: I studied in Aleppo. I graduated from the therapy department, after which I studied conservative cardiology and later invasive cardiology. On September 25, 2012, my mother, wife and I moved to Armenia. We had a great desire to visit Armenia, and the civil war in my native country was a contributing factor.

“Hayern Aysor”: Did you come to settle or have you decided to return to Syria when peace is finally established?

Z. H. B.: That’s a hard question since Aleppo is my birthplace. I have lived there for 32 years, but coming to Armenia and finding a job, we hope to get adapted to the conditions here and continue living here. We don’t feel strange in Armenia because it’s our Homeland where we have been received very well and are filled with warmth everywhere.

“Hayern Aysor”: Had you ever thought of moving to Armenia before the war in Syria?

Z. H. B.: I definitely had. Like all the Armenians in Aleppo, we had also been thinking about that, but the financial situation always scared us. People didn’t want to quit their jobs and leave their homes. In 2004, I personally participated in the Pan-Armenian Youth Forum, and in 2009, I participated in the Euro-Caucasian Congress of Cardiology as Syria’s representative…We’ve always had the intention to move to Armenia.

“Hayern Aysor”: Who in your family wanted to come to Armenia the most?

Z. H. B.: We all did. I was the one who was mainly talking about it. I would say that we have to make a decision and move to the Homeland, and we did. We have rented a home in Yerevan. I got married two years ago. We had purchased a new home in Aleppo and were spending our money on that. That’s why we didn’t have the opportunity to buy a house here. Thank God, I work, and our lives are slowly getting back on track in the homeland.

“Hayern Aysor”: Mr. Balabanian, how did you get hired at Kankor Cardiovascular Clinic?

Z. H. B.: Before getting hired at Kankor, I had worked at the third hospital in Yerevan for six months.

“Hayern Aysor”: Did you get hired easily? Who helped you? Was it the Ministry of Diaspora or did you find help yourself?

Z. H. B.: I addressed the Ministry of Diaspora and was offered one or two job opportunities, but my friends told me that the third hospital in Yerevan needed an invasive cardiologist. I worked at the clinic for six months and did a good job conducting operations. After that, I got in touch with the director of Kankor, cardiologist Shahen Khachatryan (I had known him since 2009) and he hired me with great pleasure. He pays me well and helps me adapt to the new environment so that we can solve all of our patients’ problems.

“Hayern Aysor”: You have chosen a psychologically very difficult field. A person has one heart, and the heart is what regulates a person’s organism and the world of physics…When a person or patient sees you in an extremely difficult situation and you know that that person can’t continue living, how do you feel? How do you overcome all that psychologically?

Z. H. B.: It’s not easy. One of the reasons why I chose invasive cardiology was because I wanted to conduct an operation in the critical situations of a person’s most important organ and help them continue living. It’s hard. After all, a doctor-cardiologist is also God’s creation.

“Hayern Aysor”: Were there other doctors in your family?

Z. H. B.: There were no doctors in my family. My father was a great craftsman. He was a famous shoemaker in Syria and had his own factory. He was awarded as a top expert in his field several times by the Syrian government. My father really wanted me to learn medicine. I was only ten years old when he died. My mother helped me get accepted to a medical university and worked hard to take care of all my expenses.

“Hayern Aysor”: What are you concerned about in your field?

Z. H. B.: I don’t have a lot of worries, but in general, the low salaries concern doctors. That’s why we try to go and work abroad. That’s what concerns me.

“Hayern Aysor”: Which patients do you receive more-the elderly, the youth, the children, women or men?

Z. H. B.: That’s a very interesting question. I would like to give a more detailed response.

In Armenia people are diagnosed with cardiovascular diseases at a younger age. People abroad are diagnosed between the ages of 50 and 55, but in Armenia the age range is between 30 and 40. Patients almost always come with problems that are very difficult to solve. Out of all the patients, 85-90% of them are men and 10% are women.

“Hayern Aysor”: Mr. Hovhannes-Balabanian, approximately how many surgeries have you conducted in Armenia throughout the past years?

Z. H. B.: I have conducted nearly 130 surgeries.

“Hayern Aysor”: Have there been more positive or negative outcomes?

Z. H. B.: There have been more positive outcomes. Throughout these past six years, there haven’t been any problems with patients with stands and, thank God, no deaths have been recorded. The ideal percentage of results is 94-96%. We take pride in the fact that we have been able to set international standards of success at the Kankor Center in Armenia.

Hayern Aysor”: Do you have a scientific title or ranking?

Z. H. B.: No, not yet. I wanted to select one of the reasons for the narrowing of heart valves and compare it with hemosidrin, but I didn’t have enough time. I have decided to appeal to the Armenian Association of Cardiology and defend my Doctor’s thesis on that topic.

“Hayern Aysor”: What have you learned from doctor, your colleague, director, human being and the distinguished and experienced cardiologist Shahen Khachatryan?

Z. H. B.: I have known him for four years. Shahen Khachatryan is Armenia’s top invasive cardiologist, and there’s always something to learn from him, He always teaches you something and has a lot of experience that he shares with us. There are many cases of placing stands when Shahen Khachatryan helps us and shares his knowledge.

“Hayern Aysor”: You have chosen a very difficult and responsible profession. Haven’t you ever regretted choosing this profession?

Z. H. B.: No, I have never regretted. My goal and dream has been to become a cardiologist since I was 10 years old. Of course, it’s hard and it requires sacrifice, but saving a patient’s life is above everything else.

“Hayern Aysor”: Do you find time to spend with your family or relax?

Z. H. B.: I find time for my family every day. When I come home, I go down to the yard and play with my two month old son. It’s the best way of relaxing because I feel like a child with him.

“Hayern Aysor”: You have been living in Armenia for the past two years. What angers and amazes you about Armenians and Armenia?

Z. H. B.: All the Armenians in Armenia complain about the country and their lifestyles, but at the same time, everyone is happy. This is what amazes me. What angers me is that people need medical assistance, but can’t afford it. This is what makes me very mad. I remember how we doctors in Syria would conduct surgeries for free because the government would provide assistance. Heart surgeries are quick surgeries, and there must always be a department for state orders and they must be partially free.

“Hayern Aysor”: If peace is established in Syria, will you stay in Armenia or will you return to your native country?

Z. H. B.: It’s a hard question. I was born in Aleppo and have many memories of my home, school, the church and the clubs…If I said I will stay in Armenia 100%, this would sound very patriotic. If I said I will return to Aleppo, this would also sound very patriotic because Aleppo has an Armenian community, the preservation of which is also a patriotic act. If I said I will definitely stay in Armenia or return to Aleppo, both will sound patriotic.

“Hayern Aysor”: What does Armenia the Homeland mean to you?

Z. H. B.: For me, the Homeland has always been the beautiful girl in my imagination. Living abroad for 25 years, I always pictured Mount Ararat, Geghard Monastery, Etchmiadzin and our Yerevan. Now, that is all a reality for me. I have already joined that beloved, beautiful “girl’ and want to stay with “her”.

Interview by

Karine Avagyan