Freedom of Information Center of Armenia.

The former Minister of Healthcare Harutyun Kushkyan was included in the FOICA’s Black list of the 2-nd quarter of 2011 for leaving unanswered the FOICA’s 07.02.2012 information request. By this request the FOICA has asked the following information: 1. Does the Ministry have any documents that were declassified in 2010? 2. If yes, please, provide copies of those documents.

After being included in the FOICA’s Black list, the Ministry of Healthcare provided a full answer to the FOICA’s information request. Besides, the employee of the Ministry, because of whom the Ministry was included in the Black list, got a reprimand. In addition, Mr. Harutyun Kushkyan publicly announced that they would be consistent, so that the information would always be provided within the defined time frames. FOICA’s further monitoring showed that in terms of the FOI the situation in this Ministry was improved: the Ministry provides timely and full information, works more publicly and transparently. As a result, in 2012, the Ministry of Healthcare was awarded a Golden Key as a state institution having best applied the Armenian FOI Law.