The only two ftiziopneumology rehabilitation centers for children working in Moldova do not have enough teachers and textbooks. The buildings are not connected to drinking water supply and are in need of extensive repair, shows the monitoring of the observance of the rights of children in hotbeds of tuberculosis conducted by the Ombudsman’s Office in cooperation with the School of Public Health Management.

In a news conference at IPN, ombudswoman for children’s rights Maia Bănărescu said the children whose parents suffer from tuberculosis in the Republic of Moldova are placed at the Children’s Ftiziopneumology Rehabilitation Center in Corneşti and at the Children’s Ftiziopneumology Rehabilitation Center in Târnova. The two centers are intended for children aged between 3 and 17. Currently, there are about 200 children at these centers. “According to the national standards, the children are placed for a period of three months and the period can be extended to six months. Regrettably, my colleagues from the Ombudsman’s Office, when travelling to the scene, found children who have stayed there for years, even up to the age of 9. Under the statutes, these institutions are not of closed type, but in reality the children are held there under a closed regime. They do not go to the schools in the community and do not communicate with children from the community. All the services are provided at the two rehabilitation institutions,” stated Maia Bănărescu

Elena Cernăuţanu, senior consultant at the Ombudsman’s Office, stated that the monitoring showed the right to health of the children staying at the two centers is violated, namely by the insufficient monitoring of their state of health by the medical personnel owing to the insufficiency of personnel in the given institutions, reduced access or lack of alternative health services, discharging of children after a too long period of stay and non-informing of children about the reason for the admission to the center. These children’s right to education is also violated. The centers face a shortage of teachers and have limited access to other types of educational and professional formation activities. There are no individual plans based on the capacities of each child.

According to her, the right to family is violated by the reduced contact with the family members. The institutions do not have a special room intended for visitors. The child’s family is not involved in the planning and organization of institutionalization, while the process of reintegrating institutionalized children into society is poorly developed or is absent. The right to opinion is not ensured. There are no procedures for engaging children in discussions, looking for a compromise and education of tolerance. In general, the children are not asked to state their opinion and there are no institutional policies or mechanisms for involving the children in the decision-making process. The right to information is violated too. The children are not informed about the right to file a complaint or there is no mailbox for sending such a letter.

The Government is recommended to initiate the procedure for amending the normative framework related to the protection of children in situations of risk, especially categories of minors who are directly affected by tuberculosis, and to approve concrete strategies for protecting children in hotbeds of tuberculosis and for ensuring their social protection. The Ministry of Health, Labor and Social Protection is recommended to review the statutes or classification of the rehabilitation centers as component institutions of the health system only, to establish a mechanism for managing and coordinating the process of institutionalizing children in hotbeds of tuberculosis and to draft policies for the social integration or reintegration of institutionalized children. The Ministry of Education, Culture and Research is suggested to review and adapt the training program for institutionalized children so as to ensure their right to education. The local public authorities are urged to identify an efficient intra- and inter-sector mechanism in the process of institutionalizing children by engaging specialists in the protection of the rights of children separated from the family and to develop permanent cooperation with the rehabilitation centers so as to later reintegrate the children into society.