On
October 6, the Human Rights Defender and the Council of Europe Office organized
a discussion entitled “Improving Penitentiary Healthcare through Effective
Information Exchange and Coordination”. The event was dedicated to
strengthening interdepartmental cooperation in the field of penitentiary
healthcare and overcoming existing challenges in the field.
Opening
remarks were made by Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit Manasyan, Head of the Council of
Europe Yerevan Office, Mr. Maxim Longangue, Deputy Minister of Justice Mr.
Gevorg Kocharyan, and Deputy Minister of Health Mr. Armen Gasparyan. The event
was attended by Head of the Penitentiary Service of the Ministry of Justice of
the Republic of Armenia Ms. Tsovinar Tadevosyan, Director of the “Center for
Penitentiary Medicine” SNCO of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of
Armenia Mr. Kamo Manukyan, representatives of state competent bodies, civil
society, as well as national and international expert communities.
In
her speech, Ms. Anahit Manasyan noted that the discussed topic is often not in
the focus of primary attention, but in the context of public discussions it
should be one of the first, since problems related to the penitentiary
healthcare system are of primary importance for the proper implementation of a
number of human rights protection standards.
"We
conduct daily monitoring in the penitentiary system, including in the
penitentiary healthcare sector. We must have a clear understanding that the
penitentiary healthcare system is an area where, both in our country and in
many other countries, there are a number of systemic problems. We should be
able to correct systemic problems with professional tools and find solutions as
quickly as possible. The competent departments in this field must ensure
effective cooperation that meets international standards," said Ms. Anahit
Manasyan.
The
Defender also referred to the issue of maintaining medical confidentiality and
emphasized that the problems in this regard are numerous and should be
addressed as soon as possible. This is a particularly sensitive topic in the
context of the penitentiary system.
During
the discussion, the experts emphasized that well-organized penitentiary
healthcare services is of fundamental importance for ensuring the rights of
persons deprived of liberty. The discussion mainly focused on the possible ways
to deepen cooperation and progress, which will contribute to improving the
quality of healthcare services and full compliance with international
standards.
"Although
over the years we have repeatedly raised the problem of professional
independence of medical staff and cooperation with the penitentiary service,
tangible progress has not yet been recorded. In our annual report, we have
presented a detailed analysis with concrete examples and recommendations aimed
at improving the sector and aligning it with international standards. Our main
goal is to record real positive progress in the sector, which will lead to the
effective implementation of the right to health care for persons deprived of
their liberty."
The
discussion was held within the framework of “Further strengthening the
protection of the rights of persons in detention” project of the Council of
Europe Office in Yerevan.
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