The 4th meeting of the Working Group (WG) on revising the “Regulation on the provision of health care to persons in detention” and developing the “Regulation on the management and circulation of medicines within the prison system in the Republic of Moldova” was held in Chisinau on 3-5 June 2019. The meeting was organised as part of the Council of Europe support to the National Administration of Penitentiaries of the Republic of Moldova.

The proposed amendments to the Regulation on the provision of health care to persons in detention (Ministry of Justice Order No. 478/2006) will ensure its compatibility with European standards. They comprehensively define the whole process of health care organisation and provision within penitentiary institutions, from general guiding principles (medical ethics, confidentiality and observance of human rights) to sanitary conditions and accreditations of the medical services.

The Regulation on the management and circulation of medicines, being drafted by the WG members and as a result of their work until now, establishes inter alia the organisation of the pharmaceutical activity in the penitentiary system; the operating conditions, the role, responsibilities and the subordination of the pharmaceutical units; the modalities of supplying the medicines and medical devices and their management; the rational use of medicines and the pharmacovigilance system.

The WG session was attended by the representatives of specialised departments of the National Administration of Penitentiaries and several subordinated institutions – the Prison Hospital and prison medical services, and was facilitated by the Council of Europe consultants. It was organised under the auspices of the programme “Promoting a human rights compliant criminal justice system in the Republic of Moldova”, funded by the Government of Norway and implemented by the Council of Europe.