ANOTHER SIGNIFICANT LEGISLATIVE CHANGE IN ARMENIA

On February 7, 2013, the order No. 06 on “The procedure for a blood donor to undergo a free medical examination and the list of contraindications for donation in order to preserve the health of the blood donor before taking blood or its components” was approved by the Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia. According to Sub-Clause 14 of Clause 1 of the Order, there were absolute contraindications excluding donation and a permanent ban on blood donation for a number of groups of persons: homosexuals, female commercial sex workers, persons in detention centers, etc.

 

We are glad to inform you that on December 16 this year, the Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia approved Order No. 105-Ն “On Amendments and Additions to Order No. 06 of the Minister of Health of the Republic of Armenia of February 7, 2013”, by which prohibitions for the persons of the above-mentioned groups will be eliminated.

The Humanitarian NGO “New Generation” has repeatedly raised this issue and submitted relevant proposals and legislative proposals.

 

The change was made possible by the “Community Engagement, Human Rights, Gender Equality” working group, permanent working group under the RA Country Coordinating Mechanism against HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, thanks to the efforts of a number of non-governmental organizations, including “New Generation”, as a result of an effective and consistent cooperation with the RA Ministry of Health.