1. The aim of my project:

 

The objectives of the project were to help to mobilize coalitions supporting legislators, civil organizations and institutional leaders in overcoming resistance to patients' autonomy and to contribute to a development of a framework that is favorable for patients' rights; to keep the principles of patient autonomy, informed consent and non-discrimination on the health-policy agenda.

My research had for aim
- a description of the situation of human rights in health care settings;
- an elaboration of policy recommendations for law makers;
- triggering policy advocacy efforts around patient rights issues;
- using the public health program network for making professional contacts and joint advocacy efforts.

 

2. Identification of OSI network programs that are interested in human rights and health policy issues:

 

2.1. International Harm Reduction Development Project The project focuses on diminishing the individual and social harms associated with drug use-particularly the risk of HIV infection-through innovative measures based on the philosophy of harm reduction.

2.2. Sexual Health and Rights This project investigates the best models to empower affected communities to become effective advocates around legal and policy concerns vis-?-vis sexual health and rights. It drafts analyses of laws, policies and practices related to sex work.

2.3. Law and Health Project This is a crosscutting unit at the Public Health program dedicated to strengthening civil society's capacity to effect change in the health system and to influence national policy or legislation having an impact on health and to build capacity in law and health to address priority areas of public health.

2.4. Mental Health Initiative This program consists in an initiative that seeks to improve the situation of people with mental disabilities in the region. It provides support to organizations advocating desinstitutionalization and promoting inclusion.

2.5. Romani Health Project Roma communities living on the margins do not have equal access to health resources and the services they can avail themselves of do not respond to their needs. This projects conducts inquiries into the present state of affairs and makes proposals on how to improve it.

3. Cooperation during my felloship with OSI projects:

 

- establishing information sharing mechanisms;
- consultation to identify important opportunities to cooperate and overlaps became informed
  about effective models or approaches;
- mutual help in identifying partners, advocacy organizations, experts and stakeholders.

More specifically, I participated at consultations, workshops, strategic planing meetings, such as:

Roma Health Strategic Planning Meeting

Goal of the meeting: to develop an OSI Roma Health Program strategy that integrates/utilizes the various resources and opportunities present at OSI. Organized by the Open Society Institute
March 17, 2005
Budapest, Hungary

National Conference on the Development of Hungarian Palliativ Services

A national conference for member organizations of the Hungarian Hospice Palliative Association. Aim of the conference: to discuss the experiences of the first model financig scheme of the National Health Insurance on the development of hospice units in hospitals. Officials of the Ministry of Health and of the National Health Insurance introduced the audiance into their further development and professional surveillance programs in the field.

Law on the books - law on the streets

Consultation on law as a public health tool with regard to harm reduction Organized by the International Harm Reduction Development Program, Open Society Institute Goal of the event: to identify priorities for legal work in reducing drug-related harms, including HIV infection, and safeguarding the rights of injection drug users .
June 15, 2005
Budapest, Hungary

Sex Work Policy Meeting

Health and human rights challenges for sex workers Consulatation on policy and advocacy strategies related to drugs, sex, trafficking, access to health care Organized by the Sexual Health and Rights Program of OSI
July 22-24, 2005
Vilnius, Lithuania

Mental Disability Rights Partners Meeting

A meeting organized by the OSI Human rights and Governance Grants Program and the OSI Mental Health Initiative for human rights organizations and mental disability organizations from Central and Eatern Europe and the former Soviet Union. The aim of the meeting was to reinforce the cooperation of human rights organizations and mental disability in achieving real reforms to improve the situation of peopele with mental disabilites. March 31, 2006 Budapest, Hungary

4. Publication of the project results

 

A 40 page long Policy Paper entitled " Human Rights Policy in the Domain of Health Care Decisions" is under publication at the Eötvös Károly Public Policy Institute as a separate volume.

Fundamentum, the Hungarian Human Rights and Constitutional Law Quarterly made a comprehensive interview with me about my fellowship on Human Rights Policy in Health Care. Legal policy issues, health social movement phenomena, new challenges in bioethics are discussed in the 10 page long interview, made by a constitutional law expert. The interview, entitled"The Kádár Regime Survives in the Health Care System", was published in the 1/2006 issue of the Quarterly.