All-Ukrainian working meeting-consultation “Development of the SDUEP in the treatment of HIV-positive prisoners”

An important factor in the effectiveness of measures to counter the HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis epidemic in the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine is the improvement of the quality of interaction between doctors and health care institutions of the State Department of Ukraine for the Execution of Punishments (hereinafter – the State Department) on the one hand, and non-governmental organizations and donors (hereinafter – NGOs) on the other.
On 8-10 June 2010, in Irpin, Kyiv region, the All-Ukrainian Charitable Foundation “Coalition of HIV-Service Organizations” organized and held an all-Ukrainian working meeting-consultation, which was attended by heads of health departments (sectors) of territorial bodies of the State Department, heads and infectious disease doctors of multi-profile and tuberculosis hospitals of the State Department, and representatives of international and all-Ukrainian NGOs.
The working meeting was held within the framework of the project “Development of the SDUEP in the treatment of HIV-positive prisoners in penitentiary institutions,” which is financed by the All-Ukrainian Charitable Organization “All-Ukrainian Network of PLWH”.

The following issues were discussed at the meeting:
• Execution of the departmental programme for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS for 2009 in the penitentiary system;
• Problems of expanding ART in penitentiary institutions. Improvement and supplementation of the regulatory legal framework;
• Discussion of the 9th and 10th rounds of Global Fund programmes;
• Distribution of ART drugs in penitentiary institutions;
• Care and support for HIV-infected individuals in penitentiary institutions;
• Implementation of a monitoring system for the treatment of HIV-infected individuals in the penitentiary sphere;
• Cooperation of the Department with the Ukrainian Centre for AIDS Prevention and Control in expanding treatment and providing laboratory support;
• Activities of the Technical Working Group on treatment under the Department;
• Improving the quality of work of infectious disease offices in the penitentiary sphere;
• Improving the quality of services provided by NGOs when implementing programmes in penitentiary institutions.

A significant amount of funds allocated by donors, including within the framework of the implementation of Global Fund programmes, under conditions of insufficient state funding, requires coordination and control over the quality and necessity of services provided by NGOs to both prisoners and State Department personnel.
Both the representatives of NGOs and the representatives of the State Department noted the necessity of more active participation of State Department specialists in monitoring the quality of programme implementation and in reviewing the real indicators of client coverage by these programmes.
Research presented at the All-Ukrainian working meeting questioned the effectiveness of current preventive programmes. At the same time, the heads of medical departments (sectors) of territorial bodies of the State Department noted that the existence of Methodological recommendations on the procedure for providing social services for the care and support of people living with HIV/AIDS in penitentiary institutions and pre-trial detention centres of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine allows territorial bodies of the State Department to work more effectively with NGOs in care and support programmes and provides criteria by which the quality of NGO work with persons in custody and convicts can be evaluated and demanded.
The meeting participants noted the necessity for greater openness of NGOs during project implementation and determined the need for quarterly reports from NGOs that implement programmes in places of detention, to be presented at meetings of the Technical Working Group on health issues under the State Department (hereinafter – TWG).
Taking the above into account, the meeting participants proposed documents for submission to the Department’s management:
- a mechanism for coordination between NGOs and the State Department;
- a model agreement between the Administration of the SDUEP and the Regional AIDS Centre regarding the improvement of coordination in expanding ART in places of detention;
- proposals for improving the regulatory legal framework governing the provision of ART in places of detention;
- a list of problematic issues regarding the implementation of the treatment monitoring system.
After the finalisation of all proposals, the relevant draft documents will be submitted for the consideration of the Department’s management.