The Assessment report on the provision of healthcare in the prisons in North Macedonia was presented and discussed at a multilateral round table that took place on 16 April 2019 in Skopje. It gathered representatives of the Directorate for the Execution of Sanctions (DES) at the Ministry of Justice, representatives of the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the National Co-ordinator for Healthcare in the Office of the Prime Minister, prison governors, prison doctors and other prison staff, directors and medical staff from the Public Primary Healthcare Centers throughout the country, representatives from the Ombudsman’s Office and the National Preventive Mechanism, as well as NGO representatives.

The report was drafted by two Council of Europe international consultants following their assessment mission, carried out in January and February 2019, and focusing on identifying the weaknesses in the current structure and opportunities for improvements in the provision of prison healthcare in line with the Council of Europe standards and best European practices, particularly in light of the recent transfer of responsibility for prison healthcare from the Ministry of Justice to the Ministry of Health and the regional Public Healthcare centers.

The round table resulted in identified needs to be addressed as a follow-up under the auspices of the second phase of the Horizontal Facility programme, such as establishment of standardised procedures and protocols for the provision of medical services in prisons, as well as systematic training for medical and non-medical staff working in prisons in medical ethics in prison healthcare, prison-specific health disorders, as well as in prevention and health promotion in prisons.

The round table was organised within the scope of the Action “Strengthening the protection of the rights of sentenced persons”, co-funded by the European Union and the Council of Europe within the “Horizontal Facility for Western Balkans and Turkey” and implemented by the Council of Europe.