CPT _2010_ 82 - EN - Report Armenia 2010 _2_ - The Government ...

- 43 -6. Health carea. health-care staff resources and facilities98. At the outset of the 2010 visit, the delegation’s official interlocutors stressed that steps weregradually being taken to employ more civilian health-care staff in prison health-care services,including the Prison Hospital.99. At Nubarashen Prison, the health-care team comprised 13 full-time doctors (including thehead doctor, a cardiologist, a dermatologist, a stomatologist, and two specialists in internalmedicine, two TB specialists and a psychiatrist); three of the doctors were civilian. The number offeldshers, all working on a full-time basis, had been reduced to seven since the 2006 visit (four ofthem being civilian feldshers). Doctors worked from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on week-days and feldshersprovided a 24-hour presence, including at week-ends.100. The health-care staff of Kosh Prison was composed of three doctors (all generalpractitioners) and one feldsher. Two doctors’ posts and three feldshers’ posts were vacant at thetime of the visit; 64 in this respect, the delegation was informed that, due to low salaries, it wasdifficult to recruit and retain qualified health-care staff. Further, there was no stomatologist anddental care was provided by the establishment’s feldsher (who was undergoing training in dentalcare).There was no regular presence of health-care staff during the night and at week-ends, exceptfor when the feldsher was on 24-hour duty, every third day. In cases of emergency, an ambulancewas called. The present situation poses a risk to the health of prisoners. For instance, several weeksbefore the delegation’s visit, a prisoner had required medical assistance during the night. It hadtaken some time for prison staff to become aware of this and about 45 minutes for an ambulance toarrive. The inmate concerned died.101. At Vardashen Prison, the health-care team comprised two full-time doctors (the head doctorand an internal diseases specialist). Four civilian doctors (a neuropathologist, a dermatologist, anophthalmologist and a stomatologist) attended the establishment twice a week. However, no healthcarestaff were present during the night and at week-ends.102. To sum up, the penitentiary establishments visited can, on the whole, be considered asadequately staffed with doctors. However, all of them suffered from a shortage of feldshers/nurses.The CPT recommends that the Armenian authorities take appropriate action 65 to reinforcethe health-care staff teams at Nubarashen, Kosh and Vardashen Prisons with feldshers and/ornurses, and in particular:- to employ at least two feldshers/nurses at Vardashen Prison;- to fill the vacant posts of feldshers at Kosh Prison;6465The establishment was also visited by several prison medical specialists from Yerevan.Including by providing working conditions that are sufficiently attractive to recruit and retain staff.