Internships in Germany and innovation: a German company will make modern medicine accessible to residents of Armenia

The founder of the German company Medperfekt, Anna Karakatsanis, in an interview with Novosti-Armenia agency, spoke about the unique capabilities of the company, which is ready to help its Armenian patients find the best specialists and clinics in Germany

YEREVAN, November 20. News-Armenia. Health is undoubtedly the main value for a person, so everyone strives to entrust its care to only the best doctors. The founder of the German company Medperfekt, Anna Karakatsanis, in an interview with Novosti-Armenia agency, spoke about the unique capabilities of the company, which is ready to help its Armenian patients find the best specialists and clinics in Germany.

“News-Armenia” - Your company organizes diagnostics, treatment and rehabilitation in the best clinics and with the best specialists in Germany, as well as organizes internships for doctors. Judging by the company name - Medperfekt, are you striving for perfection?

A. Karakatsanis - This is indeed true. We treat the health of our potential patients with the utmost responsibility, just as we would treat the health of our relatives or our own.

“News-Armenia” - In case of what health problems can I contact you?

A. Karakatsanis - We work in all areas of medicine, so you can contact us with any problem.

“News-Armenia” - Let's start with the training of doctors. Please tell us about your medical internship programs.

A. Karakatsanis - We offer individual internship programs for medical students and doctors. What is their essence? For example, if third, fourth and fifth year students who have not yet decided on their specialty contact us, they can come to Germany for an individual internship. It usually lasts from a week to three months, but may continue into the next year. During this time, trainees will be able to clearly understand which specialty they will choose.

We started organizing internships this year, but we already have a lot of applications. Some even managed to complete an internship, including those from Armenia. There is also a program to improve the qualifications of doctors who want to become familiar with modern methods of diagnosis and treatment, and master new medical equipment in Germany. For example, Germany has now introduced protocols for treating bladder cancer non-invasively. This doesn’t exist anywhere else at all. And we are currently collaborating with urologists in Yerevan who would like to come to Germany and study the experience of German specialists.

“News-Armenia” - The most difficult thing in medicine is diagnosis. Why should patients trust your specialists?

A. Karakatsanis - There is already an opinion that Germany has the best diagnostics. And in fact this is true thanks to research institutes such as Max Plank and Frauenhofer, advanced equipment from Siemens Healthineers, Phillips. A lot of people come to us with incorrect diagnoses. Sometimes they even do a biopsy in Armenia, and the results of the analysis are sent to Germany for additional testing to determine the type of cancer and prescribe the treatment necessary for this particular patient.

“News-Armenia” - And there were cases when you were able to help?

A. Karakatsanis - Yes, sure. We now have many patients in remission who periodically come for check-ups. Usually, if it is oncology, then the person comes first every month and is checked, then every three months, then every six months. We are glad that the purpose of their visits is simply to check.

“News-Armenia” - The Medperfekt company intends to make the achievements of modern innovative medicine accessible to the residents of Armenia and, in particular, the village of Goght in Kotayk, where the modern town of Goght Urban Valley is being built. As far as I know, a joint project with Gokht is even being developed. Please tell us about this program.

A. Karakatsanis - In fact, this program is still in development, so I can’t tell you very much about it. First of all, it is planned to carry out online consultations between Armenian specialists and German ones. We also intend to bring here the latest technological advances from Germany in the field of medicine.

“News-Armenia” - That is, a person, conditionally, turns to your specialists, provides his medical history with all the tests, after which diagnostics are organized online or offline?

A. Karakatsanis  - If possible, then online. In some cases this is possible, in others it is not. Well, look, let’s say one of the family members has some problems with dementia and needs the help of a neurologist who will select and monitor medications. In this case, it is not necessary to visit a doctor. Our neurologist can consult remotely. We have similar experience that can be applied in Gokhta.

“News-Armenia” - If it is impossible to make a diagnosis on the spot, can you arrange for the person to go to Germany for examination?

A. Karakatsanis - Yes, definitely. We help you obtain a medical visa in Armenia, organize an invitation both from the host clinic and from us. We officially confirm that the patient will come here and be examined by such and such doctors at such and such addresses. We also confirm that we in Germany receive him, meet him and accompany him throughout his trip. Usually this invitation plays a huge role when a person applies to the embassy for a medical visa.

“News-Armenia” - And if we are talking about some kind of preventive measures, is this also possible?

A. Karakatsanis - If a person wants, then yes, no problem. People often come to us for check-ups.

“News-Armenia” - Are there any plans for your specialists to conduct screenings right in Goghta?

A. Karakatsanis  - All conditions will be created for this. We can easily organize, for example, an appointment with a specific German specialist. Yes, this is planned.

“News-Armenia” - What is the “trick” of Medperfekt?

A. Karakatsanis – We perfectly understand the mental state of a person who comes abroad for treatment. He is scared: he doesn’t know the language, doesn’t know into whose hands he will fall, and is worried about the diagnosis. Therefore, we are in touch with him as soon as he called us. When he comes to Germany, we are always nearby. We have translators and drivers. That is, a person coming to Germany can completely count on us, we will never abandon him. If any problem suddenly arises, we will always help him solve this problem. You know, there have been cases when people came and refused our services, saying they speak English and can organize everything themselves. But, firstly, we have been working since 2012. We have already established our own network of doctors and clinics. We can schedule an appointment without any problems. It happens that a person arrives, but the doctor is ill and can only see the patient in a week. In this case, we can send him to another specialist who is equally good. Or there are problems with payment. The invoice was incorrectly issued, and even in German. In general, we accompany people at every stage and try to check everything thoroughly.

I would like to note that our company is a representative of the European Medical Center in Russia. Our cooperation began 2 years ago. And if some consultations are needed for a patient, and he is in Russia and cannot come to Germany because he does not have a visa or is not transportable, then we will organize these consultations of German doctors for him. We now have an oncology patient who is unable to travel to Germany. However, German doctors are calling her doctors in Russia and determining further treatment. In addition to Russia, we also organize consultations with German doctors for patients in Dubai.

“News-Armenia” - High-quality medical services all over the world are very expensive. Is anything being done to ease the burden on patients?

A. Karakatsanis - In particular, we have a special program for Ameriabank clients. Discounts will be provided to those wishing to use our services. These are discounts for accompaniment, for example, a translator. It is also planned to develop credit lines for medical students wishing to undergo an internship in Germany.