New project for development of prison healthcare sector being launched as a result of Ministry of Justice-Council of Europe co-operation

Today, Deputy Minister of Justice Srbuhi Galyan received the delegation led by Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Natalia Voutova and discussed the directions of the new programme for reforms in the prison healthcare sector.

Highly appreciating the co-operation with the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and the results of the jointly implemented project "Strengthening Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia", Srbuhi Galyan attached importance to the need for new mutual co-operation for reforms aimed at building the capacities of the "Penitentiary Medicine Centre" SNCO, including training specialists, developing relevant guides for care for convicts, ensuring the legal grounds required for medical aid and services and several other issues. Let us mention that reforms in the prison healthcare sector are one of the key directions of the Action Plan of the 2019-2023 Strategy on the Penitentiary and Probation Sectors approved by the Government.

Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Natalia Voutova underscored the importance of the implemented project and the two projects to be implemented and expressed willingness to implement essential reforms in the prison healthcare sector through combined efforts.

A number of issues related to proper medical aid and services at penitentiary institutions, increase of the quality of provision of care for mental health, acquisition of necessary medical equipment, training of specialists and the development of necessary guides were discussed during the meeting.

Let us remind that the state-of-the-art medical equipment was acquired; nearly 1000 penitentiary officers underwent training courses devoted to medical ethics, medical secret and other topics; necessary furniture for the medical personnel of penitentiary institutions was acquired, and the handbook "Issues of Prison Healthcare and Reforms in the Republic of Armenia" and the guide "For the Rights of Detained and Convicted Persons to Healthcare and the Mechanisms for Exercise of those Rights" were prepared within the scope of the project "Strengthening Health Care and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia" jointly implemented by the Ministry of Justice and the Council of Europe.