30 medical and non-medical staff from all penitentiaries across the Republic of Moldova have strengthened their awareness, widened their skills in identifying ethical issues, and improved interprofessional communication and cooperation. A two-day training session on medical ethics in the penitentiary context took place in Chisinau on 8-9 September.

The training addressed essential principles of medical ethics in prison, including equal access to health care, patient consent and confidentiality, equivalence of care with community health services, professional independence, the treatment of inmates with special needs and vulnerabilities, and the management of ethical dilemmas and challenging situations.

The multi-professional profiles of participants contributed to reinforcing the ethical conduct of healthcare staff in their daily practice and to fostering a mutual understanding of medical ethics principles among non-medical prison staff.

This session marks the end of a series of trainings which also included health assessment upon admission to prisons, enhancing awareness, knowledge, and practical skills of 89 prison staff including doctors, medical assistants, managers, members of the social reintegration units, and other professional groups, in line with European standards. The activity was organised under the auspices of the Council of Europe Project “Further strengthening the prison and probation system, the provision of health care, and the treatment of patients in closed institutions in the Republic of Moldova.”