This capacity-building meeting made it possible for journalists to acquire the knowledge and skills to promote the work of Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals in Armenia.
The Ethics Committee for Healthcare Professionals is an independent body and consists of seven members who work pro bono. The members of the Ethics Committee include healthcare professionals, lawyers, and psychologists. The cases under the review of the Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals fall under the framework of the relationship of healthcare professionals vis-à-vis patients, other healthcare professionals, third parties and public health in general.
The Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, in close cooperation with Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals and the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia on 2-3 March 2024 organized a two-day capacity-building event for journalists covering healthcare sphere, to raise their awareness on ethical rules for healthcare professionals and the function and procedural aspects of the Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals in Armenia based on international and national standards.
The opening remarks of the meeting were delivered by Laurence Lwoff, Head of Human Rights and Biomedicine Division of the Council of Europe, Izabel Abgaryan, Chair of Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals and Kristine Gyurjyan, Head of the Human Resources for Health Department of the Ministry of Health of the Republic of Armenia. “Considering the pioneering and crucial role of this newly established Ethics Committee, a proper communication and awareness-raising within general public on the existence and functions of Ethics Committee is quite important. And here your role is crucial to coordinate proper communication on the important role of the Ethics Committee”, highlighted Laurence Lwoff in her remarks.
The event aimed at raising the awareness of journalists on the functioning of the established Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals, their role in its effective functioning, as well as capacitate the latter with necessary knowledge, information and tools for wide-range awareness raising within general public in order to promote and enhance the trust towards the healthcare system in Armenia. Within the sessions, around 15 journalists were familiarised with the national and European standards in the fields of ethical rules and ethics committees of healthcare professionals. They were sensitized about the importance of the work of ethics committees in the field of healthcare in Armenia and abroad and their role in strengthening the functioning of the Ethics Committees as well as in protecting the rights of patients.
In a parallel session, members of the Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals were also made familiarized with the necessary skills and knowledge for proper and effective communication and their importance to strengthen public trust in the work with which they are entrusted.
First ever Ethics Committee for healthcare professionals was formed in Armenia in July 2023 with the support of the Council of Europe to examine cases of violations of ethical rules by healthcare professionals. A wide-range awareness raising on the functioning of the Ethics Committee would greatly contribute to the protection of the rights and dignity of patients and improve the quality of healthcare services provided in Armenia․
Two-day capacity building event was organized as a part of Council of Europe Cooperation Project on “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine II” implemented within the framework of the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.
