QUALITY PRISON HEALTH CARE

Quality Prison Health Care

Quality Prison Health Care

According to UN, prisoners should have access to equivalent health services available in rest of the country without discrimination on grounds of their legal status. If used properly, prison system can provide the unique opportunity to guide public health to most disadvantaged in society, the group often invisible to health system in general. Evidence shows that improving health of prisoners to address problems such as mental health and drug use can reduce recidivism and, therefore, of interest to those aimed at reducing crime and improving public health. (Thorpe 1997)

With opportunities abound, how good is health care in prisons step by step to plate? I was surprised to discover that it was not until 2003 that National Health Service took over prison health care in UK. Before that, prisoners had limited access to NHS services. Health system of prison was run by Ministry of Interior and was not subject to NHS standards; quality of health care in prisons was uneven across country and not responds to needs and opportunities presented.

Since integration of NHS and prison health systems began, has greatly improved. THE general medical service provides primary care in prison and is available to all prisoners-that allows prisoners to seek help for problems ranging from an acute rash of chronic lung disease or diabetes. In many prisons, however, inmates must apply in writing the date, the problem when the large proportion of prison population is illiterate. (Milgram 1963)

There are many similarities between primary health care in prison and in community but there are inevitable differences and obstacles that go along with loss of freedom. Prison environment itself poses the threat to mental, prisoners can not choose their health care team and health workers can not determine beginning or end of the course of treatment of prisoners can be transferred or released with little notice. Other difficulties of prison life include bullying, loneliness, boredom and lack of privacy, exercise, fresh air, and working and learning opportunities, all of which can affect health of prisoners despite quality health care available. These problems must be addressed if general welfare of prisoners is to further enhance the culture of health promotion should be incorporated into broader work of prison. (Judge 1995)

Many drug users in prison have had no previous contact with services, so time spent in interior can be an opportunity for the wide range of drug services and projects for guiding users to treatment services drug counseling, and pre-launch and post-release programs. Along with these services are also opportunities to address risky behaviors that accompany drug use, for example, educating users about dangers of sharing needles, which can lead to an increased risk of infectious diseases as hepatitis C and HIV. (Fuchs 1996)

In past, prisoners received little support from other services to promote abstinence, and minimal support for detoxification. THE high proportion of prisoners in consequence risks of overdose within 24 hours of its release, associated with high mortality rates, and which had lost tolerance to ...