CBE-News Medical news News TRAININGS, SEMINARS

SERIES OF CEI STAFF SENSITIZATION AND PRISONERS’ CAPACITY BUILDING TRAINING SESSIONS, 2024

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In 2024, New Generation Humanitarian NGO (NGO) continued to conduct training sessions and informational meetings aimed at the capacity building of people kept in Criminal Executive Institutions (CEIs) of the Ministry of Justice of Armenia, as well as awareness raising of non-medical staff of the CEIs.

 

The goal of the training was to build the capacities and leadership skills of people kept in Armenian criminal executive institutions through informational educational meetings on HIV and AIDS, hepatites, tuberculosis, methadone maintenance treatment and the right to health, as well as to provide them with educational information and prevention materials, as well as sensitize the CEI staff on importance of ensuring access to healthcare services, prevention, treatment of HIV, TB, hepatites, increase their sensitivity on specificities of working with prisoners living with HIV.

 

The following topics were presented in the scope of the training sessions for people kept in CEIs:

  • HIV and AIDS: Routes of transmission, prevention and ARV treatment;
  • Tuberculosis: Prevention of TB among people kept in CEIs;
  • Methadone Maintenance Treatment;
  • Right to Health.

 

The topics were presented by the experts of the National Center for Infectious Diseases (NCID), National Center for Pulmonology (NCP), National Center for Addictions Treatment of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia (NCAT) and New Generation Humanitarian NGO, i.e.

  • Kristine Lalayan – NCID Doctor-epidemiologist;
  • Lyubov Nikolayan – Senior Clinical Specialist, Expert in Postgraduate Educational Programs at the National Center of Pulmonology (NCP), PhD in Medical Sciences, Associate Professor;
  • Anna Asatryan – NCAT Head of Maintenance Treatment Service;
  • Shushan Khnkoyan – NGNGO Lawyer.
  • Anahit Mkrtchyan – NGNGO Expert, Attorney.

 

The training sessions for were organized in “Sevan”, “Hospital for Convicts” and “Vanadzor” CEIs of the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia. 

 

 

As a result of the training sessions, education-informational meetings, 59 people kept in CEIs of Armenia built their capacities and raised their awareness about HIV, AIDS, hepatites, tuberculosis, methadone maintenance treatment and the right to health, as well as were provided with education-information and prevention materials. 

 

At the end of the training sessions, the participants were awarded with certificates, and they also had the opportunity for individual consultations both with the doctors and lawyers.

 

During offsite two-day training the CEI non-medical staff were introduced to the following topics:

  • HIV and AIDS, Ways of Transmission, Prevention and ARV treatment;
  • PrEP and PEP;
  • Hepatitis B and C;
  • Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs), Prevention and Treatment;
  • Tuberculosis. Routes of Transmission, Symptoms and Prevention Measures;
  • Drugs, Methadone Maintenance Treatment;
  • The Right to Health: Ensuring Access to Healthcare Services among People Kept in CEIs;
  • Specificities of the Work with Prisoners Living with HIV and Sensitivity:

 

The topics were presented by experts from the National Center for Infectious Diseases CJSC (NCID), National Center for Pulmonology CJSC (NCP), National Center for Addictions Treatment CJSC (NCAT), National Center for Burns and Dermatology CJSC (NCBD), Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF), Real World, Real People Social NGO (RWRP), and New Generation Humanitarian NGO (NGNGO)

 

 

  • Vardan Arzakanyan – Head of the Department of Epidemiological Control and Consultation, NCID
  • Naira Khachatryan – Doctor-Physiotherapist, Coordinator of the National Tuberculosis Program, NCP
  • Anna Asatryan – Head of Maintenance Treatment Service, NCAT
  • Emil Mirzoyan – Head of STI Department, NCBD;
  • Emilya Jamalyan – MSF Medical Officer;
  • Shirag Krouzian – MSF Health Promotion Supervisor;
  • Tatevik Nalbandyan – RWRP Social Worker;
  • Anahit Mkrtchyan – NGNGO Expert, Attorney.

 

 

As a result of the training sessions, representatives of the non-medical staff of Armenian penitentiary institutions increased their awareness on ensuring access to healthcare services, prevention and treatment of HIV, TB, hepatitis, and enhanced their sensitivity in working with prisoners living with HIV.

 

Considering the registered results, the series of training sessions and educational meetings for people kept in the CEIs of Armenia, as well as the CEI staff will be continuous.

 

 

The trainings were organized within the framework of HIV Prevention and Promoting Access to Health Services among Key Populations in Armenia programs, funded respectively by the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia through the funds of the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis, and Malaria, via the National Center for Infectious Diseases CJSC, and Gilead Sciences Inc.

 

The Ministry of Justice (MoJ), the Criminal Executive Service of MoJ, the National Center for Pulmonology SNCO of the Ministry of Health (MoH), the National Center for Addictions Treatment CJSC of of MoH, National Center for Burns and Dermatology CJSC of MoH and MSF Armenia also contributed to the implementation of the training sessions.