Yesterday, on October 25,
the Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia received an alarming-call
about the fact that the convict had been provided with expired medicine in the
Kosh penitentiary institution of the Ministry of Justice. According to the
alarming-call, the convict received rash in the area of their abdomen and a
feeling of heartburn.
Based on the
alarming-call and on the instructions of the Human Rights Defender Mr. Arman
Tatoyan, the National Preventive Mechanism conducted an unannounced visit to
Kosh penitentiary institution.
During the visit, a large
number of expired medications were found in the Kosh subdivision of the
Penitentiary Medicine Center SNCO: Amlodipine", "Verapamil, Dicino, Activated
charcoal, Corsiz, Reopolyglyukin, and Polyglyuk.
Moreover, during the
examination of the Convicts' Outpatient Medical Care register, the
representatives of the Defender recorded that the convict had received various
medicines in connection with his health complaints without the instruction
relevant doctor.
In particular, during the
last month the convict received Mezim, Spazmalgo, Glucose, Noshpa, Paracetamol,
Validol, Ascofen, Analgin, Dimidrol; medications which were not prescribed to
them.
According to the studies
conducted by the representatives of the Defender, on October 11-12, the person
deprived of liberty received 10 Cryon pills. On October 20, they received 1
pill of Cryon due to severe stomach pain. On October 22, the convict again
received 10 Cryon pills; again, the pills were not prescribed to them.
Moreover, during the time of the visit, the Cryon pills, which had expired,
were in the possession of the convict.
It should be noted that
the examination of the convict's medical record revealed that the latter
underwent a medical examination on October 14, 2021, and was diagnosed with
chronic total catarrhal colitis, and Ulkavis, Doxycycline and Linex were
prescribed to them. However, the prescribed medicines were not provided to the
convict, except for 1 pill of Linex.
According to the
convict's outpatient medical record, the previous medical examination took
place on May 19, 2021, and did not prescribe any long-term treatment.
Moreover, during the
visit to Kosh penitentiary institution it was registered that the working rooms
of the medical subdivisions were in a very unacceptable sanitary and hygienic
condition.
Medication registers have
been deleted and completed with neglect. According to the Office of the Human
Rights Defender, the deletions were made for the purpose of artificially
changing the quantities of medications.
The Department for
Prevention of Torture and Ill-Treatment (National Preventive Mechanism) of the
Office of the Human Rights Defender of Armenia will continue its monitoring and
studies in relation to the issue of medical services, including the issue of
expired medications, in the penitentiary institutions of the Ministry of
Justice.
The illegal actions of
the staff of the Penitentiary Medicine Center SNCO of the Ministry of Justice-
keeping and storing expired medications, instead of destroying them with the
established procedure, violating the procedure of destroying expired
medications, and prescribing expired medications to persons deprived of their
liberty are gross violations. They are manifestations of ill-treatment of
persons deprived of their liberty.
This practice should be
ceased immediately and systematically, considering the fact that the monitoring
of the Office of the Human Rights Defender has registered more cases of expired
medications, deleted registers and registers completed with neglect, and
unacceptable sanitary and hygienic conditions.
Not all the names of the
expired medications are published in this statement. The rest will be sent to
the Ministry of Justice with an official letter.
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