Armenian Catholicos Garegin II: slap in the face to medical profession in Armenia?

Just to put it straight first. I wish good health and speedy recovery to Armenian Catholicos Garegin II.

Few days ago he underwent “laparascopic cholecystectomy” (removal of gall bladder) and reportedly feeling OK.

Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II has recently underwent a surgery in New York by the recommendation of doctors, Vahram Melikyan, the head of the Public Relations Department at the Holy See of St Echmiadzin, told Tert.am.

"The Catholicos has undergone a laparoscopic cholecystectomy," he said, adding that the patriarch was discharged from hospital a few days after the surgery and continues his meetings in the United States. Garegin II will reportedly return to Armenia later this month.

All sounds fine if only not for one ‘minor detail’. He underwent this surgery in... New York. This is a pretty routine procedure available in Armenia and does not require any complicated equipment or complex specialist treatment. So why Catholicos chose for his routine medical treatment New York, instead of, say, Yerevan?

Is this a reflection of his mistrust to the quality of medical profession, and particularly surgery, in Armenia?

Or is this a reflection of something else in line with “I go for shopping to Paris and London” - “I go for surgery to New York”?

In any case, ditching local doctors for such a routine procedure is pretty much a slap in the face to Armenian surgeons and medical profession in general.

*picture - via Tert.am