The Council of Europe in co-operation with the Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Armenia launched the telemedicine and electronic medical system for prison healthcare. Martina Schmidt, the Head of the Council of Europe Office in Yerevan and Arpine Sargsyan, Deputy Minister of Justice of the Republic of Armenia took part in the launching at the "Penitentiary Medicine Centre" on 8 December 2022.
The two components of the new electronic system are related to the electronic medical system and telemedicine which are innovative and a step forward. The general concept was developed as a result of needs assessment and intensive co-operation of the Council of Europe local and international consultants.
The software and hardware equipment has been installed and will be applied in all the 10 penitentiary institutions of Armenia. The electronic medical system will ensure paper free document circulation in the electronic forms and have a unified approach to documentation, whereas telemedicine ensures to overcome the distance barriers and widen the access to highly qualified and specialised medical professionals and improve health care quality for inmates. The medical staff undergone specialised technical trainings to be able to use the new software. It is noteworthy that in parallel, the telemedicine is being introduced in public health care system in Armenia as well.
The software was developed, and the hardware was purchased under the Council of Europe Project “Enhancing health care and human rights protection in prisons in Armenia” implemented by the Council of Europe and funded by the Council of Europe Action Plan for Armenia 2019-2022.