Large-scale activities implemented in prison medicine sector presented

19/12/2018

The closing ceremony of the “Strengthening Healthcare and Human Rights Protection in Prisons in Armenia” Project — being jointly implemented by the Ministry of Justice and the Council of Europe — was held today. The objective of the Project was to strengthen the rights of persons deprived of liberty by improving the provision of medical services (including mental health) within the penitentiary institutions of the Republic of Armenia, as well as enhance the capacities of the staffs of penitentiary institutions by developing and holding ongoing courses.

Deputy Minister of Justice Suren Krmoyan, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan Natalia Voutova, Head of Cooperation Section of the Delegation of the European Union to Armenia Gonzalo Serrano De La Rosa, as well as European and national co-ordinators of the Project Ilias Kalamaras and Arman Poghosyan gave their opening remarks at the closing ceremony of the Project.

During the meeting, Deputy Minister of Justice Suren Krmoyan presented the unprecedented and large-scale activities that were implemented in the prison medicine sector within the scope of the Project. The Deputy Minister stated that the independence of medical staffs would be ensured based on the results of the Project. Suren Krmoyan also noted that trainings for about 1 000 employees of medical and non-medical staffs had been carried out, a number of draft legal acts had been developed, and 11 penitentiary institutions of the Ministry of Justice had been provided with medical equipment and accessories, as well as furniture required for first aid.

At the end of the meeting, Chief Co-ordinator Ilias Kalamaras expressed hope that the wave of reforms launched in the prison medicine sector would continue and that the Government would guarantee practical application of those reforms.