Patients' Rights as Policy Issue in South Eastern Europe

Initial Work and Advocacy Plan                   Neda MILEVSKA-KOSTOVA

June 2005


Aims of the Project

The project Patient Rights as a Policy Issue is aimed at analysis of the patients’ rights policies and the level and quality of their implementation in different national contexts, as well as in the light of different ethnical groups, especially focusing on the Roma population, as the most disadvantaged and socially excluded, and the one suffering largest inequalities and discrimination.

The research will target to achieve:
(1)    Comparative analysis of the existing legislation and policies, their compliance with the common
        health and social policies of the EU, as part of the harmonization of their legislation with the EU
        legislation towards the ultimate goal of EU membership.
(2)    Evaluation of the level and quality of implementation of the patients’ rights legislation, especially
        focusing on the Roma population as the most marginalized ethnical group in the countries in the
        region.
(3)    Policy recommendations for the patients’ rights and human rights in health care settings in general
        to be presented to the policy makers and decision-makers in the country

OSI Network Program Collaboration (Potential)


OSI           

Public Health
   
International Harm Reduction Development Program    www.soros.org/initiatives/ihrd/about
Mental Health Initiative    www.soros.org/initiatives/mhi/about
Human Rights    EUMAP    www.soros.org/initiatives/eu

Roma Programs
   
Romani Health    www.soros.org/initiatives/roma/focus_areas/romani_health


IPF Alumni       
Mental Disability Advocacy   
Daiga Kamerade, Latvia (fellow 2004-2005)
Media communication strategies to increase awareness of the rights of people with mental disabilities

Equal Opportunity Policy   
Philip Martinov Gounev, Bulgaria (fellow 2004-2005)    
The economic costs of discrimination against the Roma minority in Bulgaria.

Education Policy   
Csilla Bartha, Hungary (fellow 2002-2003)
Perceiving silence: Information access, public awareness and the integration of the deaf in Hungary.

CEU Faculty fellows  
 Judit Sandor, Hungary (fellow 2002-2003)    
Changing concepts in biomedical law and policy.

Medical Policy   

Arman Vardanyan, Armenia (fellow 2000-2001)
Advocacy strategies for the mentally disabled in Armenia with lessons from Eastern Europe.


Main Deliverables of the Project

a.    20-page policy study;
b.    policy briefing paper;
c.    workshop on patients’ rights;
d.    research paper;
e.    publication including the policy study,
       the research paper and
       the materials resulted from the workshop.






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