Albania
| National policy | |
|---|---|
| National policy/strategy or official recommendations on HIV testing? | Yes |
| National policy/strategy document | |
| Who can administer HIV tests? | |
| Restrictions on who can legally administer HIV tests? | Yes |
| Which groups can legally do HIV testing? |
|
| Further comments | |
| Free HIV testing | |
| HIV testing free to all who want it? | Yes for all |
| Further comments | |
| Is free HIV testing available? | Yes in certain places |
| Further comments | |
| HIV testing restrictions | |
| HIV testing access restricted for some groups/populations? | No |
| Which groups are restricted | |
| Further comments | |
| Availability of testing in non-clinical settings | |
| Is testing available in any of the following ways? | |
| Postal HIV sampling legal? | No |
| Home HIV testing legal? | No |
| Community testing at NGOs legal? | No |
| Community/outreach event testing legal? | No |
| Other | |
| Rapid tests used by community based testing services/initiatives? | |
| Anonymity/Confidentiality of HIV testing | |
| Anonymous testing available? | Yes |
| If yes, please give details | Our respondents in country have reported that anonymous testing is available - but so far as yet we have not had any confirmation or further information about what information is recorded (if any) . |
| If not, why not, what sort of information is required and is there any promise of confidentiality? | |
| Discrimination & equality | |
| Legislation | |
| Legislation protecting the rights of people with HIV? | Yes |
| Key documents | |
| Further comments | Information has been very difficult to find for Albania. The only legislation regarding HIV that we know of is a draft proposal . A special committee was set up in 2004 to review existing law and to consider whether criminal liability should be imposed for transmission of the virus. The result of this committee was a 'draft law' covering all aspects of HIV/AIDS. It contained the following provisions : Persons with HIV/AIDS shall have these obligations: a) implement prevention and transmission of HIV to other people; b) inform their spouses about the positive HIV test result; c) other obligations provided for by this Law and other laws.we have attached this 'draft' here - but would appreciate more recent information |
| Other key populations | |
| Needle exchange available for people who inject drugs? | Don't know |
| Further comments | Once again information has been very difficult to come across - the website of the organisation Aksion Plus http://www.aksionplus.net/harm-reduction/ reports that they are implementing a needle exchange programme in some 'hot spots' in the capital Tirana. Howeverit is unclear whether this programme is still active. |
| Opiate substitution therapy available? | Don't know |
| Further comments | Once again form the Aksion Plus site it is reported that they have the following programme
|
| Are PWID (people who inject drugs) excluded from HIV treatment while actively using drugs? | No |
| Further comments | |
| Legal to sell sex? | No |
| Further comments | |
| Legal to buy sex? | No |
| Further comments | The only site that we could find for this information was the USA state department : http://www.state.gov/j/drl/rls/hrrpt/2007/100544.htm thought the 'illegality' of commercial sex work is also referred to in the strategy document uploaded. |
| Access to HIV Treatment | |
| Free access to HIV treatment? | Yes, for all |
| Further comments | |
| Status and access to HIV treatment and care in your country | |
| Access to HIV treatment restricted for certain populations with HIV? | No |
| Which groups are restricted? | |
| If more than one of the above populations selected, please give more information | |
| Status | |
| Country status | Non-EU / Non EFTA |
| Mobility in Europe | |
| Do the following groups/populations have legal access to HIV treatment? (i.e provided on the same basis as citizens of the country) | |
| Legal treatment access: Other EU migrant nationals | N/A |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Legal treatment access: general non-EU migrants | No |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants with asylum/refugee status | N/A |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Legal treatment access: Non-EU migrants who are undocumented | No |
| If yes but exceptions, please describe | |
| Further comments | Not known |
| About this data | |
| Last minor revision | 9 November 2016 |
| Last major revision | 1 December 2016 |
| Published | 1 December 2016 |
| Data sources | As well as responses from in-country individuals and organisations information and data was taken from the following sources:http://ecdc.europa.eu/en/healthtopics/aids/Pages/monitoring-dublin-declaration.aspx Sex Work Laws These included https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostitution_by_country#Europe The Global Network of Sex Work Projects www.nswp.org and country sources and http://sexualrightsdatabase.org/map/21/Adult%20sex%20work and http://spl.ids.ac.uk/sexworklaw Drug use Needle exchange information was taken from Harm Reduction International who have an interactive tool https://www.hri.global/global-state-of-harm-reduction Criminalisation of non-disclusure, exposure and transmission of HIV http://criminalisation.gnpplus.net has useful info about the criminal law and is searchable by country as well as information at http://www.hivjustice.net/site/countries/ MSM http://ilga.org/what-we-do/state-sponsored-homophobia-report/ (2016) |
| Data contacts | Responses were received from University Hospital Center of Mother Theresa, Tirana |