On
February 26, the Human Rights Defender of the Republic of Armenia, Ms. Anahit
Manasyan, participated at the National Assembly in the “International
Conference on the Protection of Patients’ Rights”, dedicated to Armenia’s
ratification of the Convention on Human Rights and Biomedicine (Oviedo
Convention).
The
conference was organized at the initiative of the Standing Committee on
Protection of Human Rights and Public Affairs of the National Assembly and the
Council of Europe Office in Yerevan.
Opening
speeches were delivered by Mr. Alen Simonyan, President of the National
Assembly of the Republic of Armenia and Mr. Rafael Benitez, Director of Social
Rights, Health and Environment of the Council of Europe.
Representatives
of the Human Rights Defender’s Office, Members of Parliament, representatives
of state bodies, and international partners were present.
In
her speech, the Human Rights Defender expressed gratitude for the initiative to
organize the conference, emphasizing the importance of the topic under
discussion:
“This
is an issue that must be discussed on a daily basis, especially in a situation where
the culture of paying attention to legal and ethical aspects in the field of
biology and medicine is lacking in a number of countries. I believe it is very
important that in Armenia, not only great attention is being paid to the issues
mentioned above, but also an attempt is being made to find solutions to the
problems. In this context, I attach
importance to the ratification of the Oviedo Convention, for which I have also
carried out active advocacy as Human Rights Defender, in cooperation with our partners
from the Council of Europe and the National Assembly,” noted the Defender.
Highlighting
Armenia’s achievements, Ms. Anahit Manasyan also referred to key existing
problems, noting at the same time that they are the result of the Human Rights
Defender's constant monitoring.
In
particular, the Human Rights Defender referred to the problem of medical
confidentiality, which, according to the Ms. Anahit Manasyan, remains one of
the most serious problems in the field from both legal and ethical perspectives.
According to the Human Rights Defender, safeguarding medical confidentiality is
especially problematic in places of deprivation of liberty, particularly during
medical examinations of detainees.
"This
issue should be in the focus of attention of all partners, although in this
field, again, if we compare the years, there have been developments," said
the Human Rights Defender, particularly emphasizing the need to implement
serious and consistent steps in this direction, including training for medical
personnel, other competent state and non-state bodies, and various
stakeholders.
Another
issue addressed by Anahit Manasyan concerned informed consent in the provision
of medical care and services. As the head of a monitoring body, the Human
Rights Defender emphasized that, in cases of hospitalization, the consent of
persons with mental health conditions is often not truly informed and is
largely formal in nature.
“This
is a problem that must be resolved, and I have been raising it for several years
within the framework of my annual reports,” the Human Rights Defender stated.
In
her speech, Ms. Anahit Manasyan also stressed the need to accelerate the
process of deinstitutionalization.
The
Defender also referred to the problem of maintaining ethical standards in the
field of reproductive health, placing particular emphasis on ensuring
reproductive health rights in places of deprivation of liberty. Highlighting the steps taken by the state in
this direction and legislative regulations, the Defender noted that the problem
still remains relevant. Ms. Anahit Manasyan also addressed existing challenges
concerning the reproductive health rights of persons with disabilities. The
importance of the decision adopted by the Constitutional Court of Armenia upon
the application of the Human Rights Defender was also emphasized, as it is of
key significance from the perspective of guaranteeing equality in access to
assisted reproductive technologies.
Ms.
Anahit Manasyan also highlighted the efforts undertaken by the Human Rights
Defender’s Office in this field, including awareness-raising campaigns and
cooperation with a number of partners.
Concluding
her speech, the Human Rights Defender stressed the importance of continuous
efforts by all stakeholders to overcome the existing challenges.
“I
consider it important that further steps be systemic, conceptual and prompt,
based on tangible results,” Ms. Anahit Manasyan stated, emphasizing the
necessity of training for competent authorities, large-scale awareness-raising
campaigns, appropriate legislative amendments, proper implementation practices,
and taking into account the standards of domestic monitoring bodies and the
observations of international organizations in the field.
Within
the framework of the conference, discussions were held on areas of cooperation
in the fields of biomedicine and healthcare in Armenia, as well as on issues
related to the Oviedo Convention.
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