Question NW754 to the Minister of Justice and Correctional Services

Reply:

(a) (i) The current total number of inmates requiring medical care in South African correctional facilities cannot be predicted for a particular time as they all remain potential patients. Nonetheless, all inmates have access to health care services based on their individual health needs as mandated by the current Departmental Policy Procedures on Health Care.

(a) (ii) The most prevalent disease amongst inmates is the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV).

(b) The following standard measures are implanted to prevent inmates from getting sick:

• Screening of inmates on admission, during incarceration and on release for communicable diseases in order to facilitate early diagnosis and the initiation of treatment;
• Provision of treatment for communicable and non-communicable diseases in compliance with the Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines Lists (STGs and EML;
• Provision of Primary Health Care services to inmates on a daily basis to address their health needs. Those that require secondary and tertiary levels of care are referred to the relevant external and sensitization sessions on various health conditions as well as maintenance of hygiene standards such as promotion of hand and respiratory hygiene for inmates with regard to COVID-19 through different media as well as implementation of infection prevention and control (IPC) measures;
• Compliance to the Department of Correctional Services specific Standard Operating Procedures for Preparedness, Detection and Response to COVID-19 in order to contain and mitigate COVID-19 infections in the correctional facilities;
• Administering of COVID-19 vaccines to the inmates who have agreed to be vaccinated in order to achieve herd immunity in the correctional facilities thus mitigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic; and
• Provision of meals to inmates addressing their nutritional needs.

END