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On January 23, 2010, HCA Vanadzor organized training on “International Standards of Patients’ Rights” in “Pyunik” NGO in Gyumri. The goal of the training was to raise public awareness on patients’ rights and on possible mechanisms of their restoration.

The head of the Health department of Gyumri administration, the head of the Public Relations department,  medical workers from 4 polyclinics of Gyumri, from the ambulance service, family doctors and 6 NGO representatives participated in the training.

Artur Sakunts, the coordinator of HCA Vanadzor facilitated the training. He presented the understandings of ‘human rights’, ‘the right to health’ the European Charter of Patients’ rights, as well as other international and regional documents, where human rights are reflected. Information was also given about palliative assistance as a painkilling and as an approach, which improves life quality. The link of palliative assistance with human rights was presented to the participants.

They defined a number of problems existing in the healthcare sphere, which were then classified by the rights presented in the European Charter of Patients’ Rights. The problems in the polyclinics of Gyumry were the lack of necessary and quality medicine, lack of medical equipment, insufficient funding, lack of specialists, lack of children’s food, ill-treatment, a lot of documents to be filled in, which prevents paying more attention to the patients.

It is planned to monitor the situation of patients’ human rights in Lori, Shirak and Taush regions. As a result, recommendations will be presented to RA Ministry of Healthcare. At present, s study is being conducted in Gyumri.

The training was organized by HCA Vanadzor within the framework of the project “Legal Aid to the drug users of Lori, Shirak, Taush regions and the city of Yerevan”, which is implemented by the Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia.