As part of its  comprehensive response package to the refugee influx in Armenia, the Council of Europe launched a series of capacity-building activities on key human rights principles in healthcare and biomedicine, as well as on rights and responsibilities of healthcare professionals.

Nearly 35 physicians participated in the first training session organised by the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan, in close cooperation with the National Institute of Health of the Republic of Armenia, on 16-17 March 2024 in Tsaghkadzor, Armenia.

The opening remarks of the event were delivered by Maxime Longangué, Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and Alexander Bazarchyan, Director of the National Institute of Health of the Republic of Armenia. Both sides emphasised the importance of such a capacity-building activity as contributing to the integration of healthcare professionals from the Karabakh region into the Armenian healthcare system.

A wide range of topics, including national and European standards on right to health protection and access to healthcare services, the reproductive health rights, ethical rules for healthcare professionals, issues of informed consent, medical secret and confidentiality were introduced by international and local leading experts.

This training session, as the first one of the planned series, contributed to the continuous professional development of healthcare professionals, allowing them to collect 10 continuous professional development (CPD) credits, as well as strengthened and enhanced their professional network.

The capacity-building training was organised by the Council of Europe Project on “Protection of Human Rights in Biomedicine II”  implemented within the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2023-2026.