Introduction
Prisons are unique environments that can present complex challenges when it comes to managing and preventing infectious diseases. Prison services and healthcare professionals work together to safeguard the health and well-being of people living and working inside prison walls. In this webinar, EuroPris brought together experts and practitioners to explore how prison systems are addressing these challenges.
The session delved into key areas such as:
- prevention strategies
- harm reduction measures
- improving access to treatment
- and ensuring effective coordination between prison healthcare and broader public health systems.
This event was open to professionals working in prison services, healthcare, public health, and related sectors.
- Linda Montanari (Portugal):
Linda is a health sociologist, working as a Principal Scientist at the European Union Drugs Agency (EUDA) since 2000, where she coordinates various areas, including prison, gender and mental health. She has been leading the publication of the 2022 on "Prison and Drugs in Europe: Current and Future Challenges"; she coordinates a network of European experts on prison and drugs and more recently she has been working in coordination with the ECDC on the publication of a toolkit for the elimination of hepatitis in prison. Her prison work aims at improving prison preparedness in the field of drugs across Europe.
- Dr. Pavlo Marchenko (Ukraine):
Pavlo is the Head of the Department for Organizational-Analytical and Methodological Support at the Center for Health Care of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine. He is responsible for coordinating the implementation of healthcare standards and digital tools across penitentiary medical facilities, with a focus on improving access to HIV, TB, and substitution therapy services. He also takes part in national-level planning and monitoring of healthcare interventions for people in detention. - Dr. Yaroslav Basarab (Ukraine):
Yaroslav is the Director of the Center for Health Care of the State Criminal-Executive Service of Ukraine. With specialisation in infectious diseases and healthcare organisation and management, he also holds a PhD in Medical Sciences as well as a Master's degree in Public Management and Administration. He oversees strategic planning and operational management of penitentiary healthcare across Ukraine, focusing on enhancing healthcare standards and integrating international best practices. His expertise includes the management of infectious diseases, harm reduction programs, and the implementation of innovative healthcare interventions within penitentiary institutions.
- Dr. Cornelia Berger (Luxembourg):
Cornelia is a medical consultant to the Medical Service of the Prison Administration in Luxembourg. She specialises in general and emergency medicine, and holds a PhD in medicine as well as a Master's degree in health economics. As a member of the medical team working in two of the country’s three prison facilities, as well as the Immigration Detention Centre for irregular migrants, she is involved in the daily healthcare of detainees, focusing in particular on prevention and care in accordance with international standards, the principle of equivalence, and general health standards.
Presentations
Explore the expert insights shared during webinar. Below, you’ll find presentations from each of our speakers. These resources are available for download to support continued learning and discussion.
- Infectious Diseases in European Prisons Challenges and Possible Interventions by Linda Montanari
- Interventions and Results in Luxembourg Prisons by Dr. Cornelia Berger
- Harm Reduction in Ukrainian Prisons by Dr. Pavlo Marchenko
Webinar Summary
You can read through the webinar summary here.
