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On January 29 and 30, 2010, Helsinki Citizens’ Assembly-Vanadzor organized training on “International Standards of Patients’ Rights” in Vanadzor and Ijevan.

Medical workers from polyclinics # 4, 5 and “Gugark”, from hospital # 2, NGO representatives, public defenders, Anahit Papikyan, Anahit Papikyan from Open Society Institute Assistance Foundation-Armenia, project manager of “Public Healthcare”, Artur Potosyan, the head of the NGO “Anti-drug Civil Alliance” and the lawyer of the same organization Violeta Zopunyan participated in the training in Vanadzor.

NGO representatives from Ijevan, Dilijan, Noyemberyan, students and lecturers participated in the seminar in Ijevan.

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.

The participants 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. Among the problems were mentioned the lack of medical equipment, lack of specialists, lack of necessary medicine within state-funding, insufficient sanitary hygienic conditions, absence of necessary conditions in villages for medical first aid, patients’ low level of awareness, violations of patients’ right.

The participants mentioned some actions of preventing violations of patients’ rights. In particular, public awareness raising, re- qualification of specialists, legislative changes, strengthening of the control over the healthcare institutions.

The trainings 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.