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Health in prison remains major concern

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WESTERN imposed sanctions on the country have impacted negatively on almost all institutions in Government and the Harare Central Prison is no exception.
The Patriot visited the prison last week and as much as the authorities are trying to ensure the welfare of prisoners, some basic necessities are lacking.
For an institution that has a capacity of 1 470 inmates, but had 1 992 inmates as of last Tuesday, strict health standards have to be met to avoid disease outbreaks.
Officer-in-Charge of the Harare Central Prison, Stanford Chingozho said the prison authorities could not meet the requirements by the prisoners such as soaps for laundry, but they had opened doors to the public so that inmates could get some assistance from their relatives.
“We have also opened doors to the general public and relatives of the inmates so that they provide basic stuff to their loved ones,” he said.
Like any other institution, Harare Central Prison has been affected by the HIV and AIDS pandemic as between 400 to 500 inmates are on Anti-Retro Viral Therapy (ART) and the authorities have ensured that they receive their medication consistently.
Government has supported the institution quite well and the Harare Central Prion has 64 nurses and three doctors.
This makes it perform well like any other institution as the medical personnel is dedicated to performing good prison health which is good public health.
To complement the issue of diet, patients on ART are given supplementary soya porridge which contributes to their nourishment.
And now inmates can be visited everyday unlike when they were allowed visitors during weekends.
This has been done so that relatives of inmates can bring supplementary food for their loved ones to complement their usual diet which consists of sadza and vegetables.
Other patients who have other conditions which are contagious such as Tuberculosis (TB) are isolated to the previously ‘coloureds zone’ until they are fully recovered or are a less danger to others.
However, the Harare Central Prison, Hospital which is the Referral Hospital for other prisons has serious transport challenges which hinder the smooth running of their operations.
An interview with some of the prisoners revealed that they were satisfied with the treatment at the hospital, although they bemoaned long queues.
On homosexuality, the prisoners were evasive although some admitted that they could not cope without having sex.
Homosexual relationships contribute to the spread of HIV and AIDS as anal intercourse which some prisoners engage in increases chances of HIV transmission.
However, the prison authorities dismissed cases of homosexuality and reiterated that the inmates knew the consequences.
A doctor at the prison said there were no new HIV infections recorded at the hospital.
“We have not had any new cases of HIV infections which we can allude to the relationships among the prisoners,” said Dr Tinashe Dhobbie.
“Besides we cannot conclude that any new infection is because of gay relationships, there can be other causes which include tattooing which most inmates engage in.
“HIV testing is not mandatory anywhere in Zimbabwe including the prison so we cannot force prisoners to be tested when they get to the prison, hence we cannot confirm those relationships.”
To ensure that the prisoners also have the same access to health issues a Voluntary Male Circumcision Centre is available at the hospital and inmates can be circumcised anytime.
Free HIV, Counselling and Testing are also available anytime.
Harare Central Prison consists of males only.

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