By Armineh Ghoukasyan

There’s no shortage of people queuing up this afternoon at the Sevan Polyclinic.

Some are seated, some standing. Most at the ear, nose and throat unit are children and their parents.

Little Ani is initially afraid but then warms up to the smiling doctor  - 54 year-old Andranik Arslanyan who relocated from Aleppo to Armenia in June of this year. Ani is his 1,000th patient.

Dr. Arslanyan’s history with Armenia dates back to 1983, when he enrolled as a student at Yerevan’s Medical Institute. The good doctor fills in the details.

“I was born in Aleppo and graduated from the Haigazian High School and later the National Jemaran. I studied for three years at the Polytechnic University. It wasn’t to my liking and I left at mid-stage. With the dream of becoming a doctor in my soul, I came to Yerevan and graduated in 1993 from the State Medical University. Before graduating, I wanted to become a pediatrician, but when I delved into the field of otolaryngology I decided to continue in that specialty. It’s a field that requires drug treatment and surgery,” says Dr. Arslanyan

He graduated with honors and left Armenia. The doctor then served in the Syrian Army and then opened his own clinic in 2005.

The worsening situation in Aleppo forced Dr. Arslanyan to move, He chose Armenia.

“I came in 1983, as a student and by myself. Now it’s 2015, I’m an established physician who has returned with his family,” he says.

Dr. Arslanyan visited the health ministry soon after arriving.

“I went there because I needed to do the work I love. They told me there was an ENT opening at Sevan. I immediately agreed. While I had heard about the severe climate in Sevan, it didn’t hold me back. In the name of the homeland, one can disregard the cold and the inconveniences. Residents of Sevan welcomed me with open arms,” says Dr. Arslanyan.

What is most important for Dr. Arslanyan is that his two sons receive their higher education in Armenia.

“I don’t know how things will work out in the future, but I have decided that my boys will receive their medical and computer programming educations in Armenia. I owe something to Armenia for the education I received. Back then, as a diasporan Armenian, I felt the strong hand of the homeland and I am in debt to it for the skills I received here in Armenia. Perhaps this is why there was no other option for me after leaving Syria. This is my home and I have come to serve my fellow countrymen. If need be, I will also visit the border areas and serve there, both with my medical skills and as a soldier,” says Dr. Arslanyan.

The doctor rents an apartment in Sevan while the family resides in Yerevan. He wants to be close to his workplace and patients.

“I give thanks to God that I have chosen this profession. This is my life, my method of self-expression. I have come to know a simple truth during my work. If you treat your guests and patients well, they reciprocate. In general, physicians also provide treatment by having a good attitude.”

As I say goodbye, Dr. Arslanyan’s 1,001th patient is waiting in the wings.

In addition to a few pills, the good doctor naturally will comfort his next patient with a smile and some kind words of encouragement.

That’s the comforting bedside manner all Dr. Arslanyan’s patients receive, young and old.