International conference "The role of NHRIs in conflict and post-conflict situations"

1. Ensuring Access to Medical
Assistance in Prisons in the ATO Zone
through National Preventive
Mechanism
Oleksandr Gatiiatullin, member of the Advisory Council on
implementation of the national preventive mechanism under
the Authorized Representative of Ombudsmen
21 October 2015

2. State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine
(hereinafter – SPSU) institutions in
Donetsk and Luhansk regions within
armed conflict conditions
36 SPSU institutions,
25 623 people in total
(as on 01.07.2014)
Since 17.07.2014 part of
institutions has gradually moved
to the submission of so called
"State Service for performing
Sentences of the Ministry of
internal affairs of DPR/LPR“
29 institutions (3 of them do not
function).
7 Institutions are left
under control of
Ukraine

3. The All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH under
conditions of conflict in Eastern Ukraine
6 NGO funded by the Network
perform activities of care and
support in 25 institutions of
SPSU.
464 prisoners receive ARV
treatment, stock of drugs
available until late August 2014
(as on 01.09.2014).
SPSU refused to supply drugs.
Within August – October 2014
the Network has supplied ARV
and other drugs to SPSU
institutions.

4. Cooperation with Ombudsman
• An initiative to perform
Monitoring visits of National
Preventive mechanism to
institutions of SPSU in the
ATO area to territories
controlled by the
Government of Ukraine;
• Gathering information from
institutions in territories not
controlled by the
Government of Ukraine and
presentation of gathered
information at
Ombudsman’s events.

5. National preventive mechanism
National preventive
mechanism (NPM) – is a system
of regular visits to places of
detention and providing
recommendations to improve
conditions of detention and
behavior with persons who are
there.
Implementation of NPM is
delegated to Ombudsman.
In Ukraine NPM is being
implemented in the format
“Ombudsman+” since 2012

6. Visits of NPM to ATO zone
Within October-November
2014 3(three) NPM visits
have been performed
(Starobelsk, Artemivsk and
Mariupol prisons).
Group members – 2
representatives of NPM
department (1 expert of
department for expert-
analytical medical issues
study) and 2 public monitors
of NPM.

7. Monitoring results
• Not enough attention is paid to
the issue of healthcare supplies
including for PLWH;
• Low levels of stocks and
uncertainty in supplies in the
nearest future;
• Issues of granting qualified
health care (surgeries, complex
diagnostics) are not being
solved;
• Underfunding of practically all
budget lines;
• No possibility to transfer people
who are already sentenced from
investigation wards to prisons

8. Reaction
Ombudsman’s appeal to the
Prime-minister of Ukraine
regarding necessity of urgent
actions on resolving the situation
with investigation wards in the
ATO zone.
Order of the Prime-minister of
Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk to
relevant ministers.

9. Monitoring other institutions in
ATO zone
Since Autumn 2014 the NPM Department
of Ombudsman’s office, together with
public monitors, have started performing
monitoring visits to ATO zone (controlled
territories) during which the issues of food
and healthcare supplies, as well as issues
of security/evacuation were studied.
Institutions:
- Of the Ministry of social policy of Ukraine
(orphanages and children’s houses);
- Of the Ministry of health of Ukraine (houses of
child, psychiatric hospitals);
- Of the State Border Service of Ukraine (military
bases, custom control and border crossing
points);
- Of the Ministry of internal affairs of Ukraine
(regional police departments, temporary
detention facilities)
- Of the State court administration of Ukraine
(courts).

10. Thank you for your
attention!