No doctor at Bomana prison

There are plans to relocate the health extension officer from the Correctional Service College Clinic at Bomana, to be based at the prison clinic to attend to inmates’ health issues.

Bomana Jail Commander Haraha Kiddy Keko made this known recently.

The Bomana rehabilitation centre does not have a doctor at its medical facility and Commander Keko admitted the issue of not having a doctor at the prison to attend to inmates is beyond his control.

“Our director health services need to look at it at the headquarters level so they can organise that.

“We also need to keep on talking to each other to get that service because it’s also badly needed here. These people are in our care and they just have one chance and we need to have medical on site, especially with higher qualifications,” he added.

Last week Justice Panuel Mogish conducted a jail visit to the rehabilitation centre.

He said a very high percentage of inmates making bail application before the National Court is over a medical condition.

“I think the problem is we are not having a regular medical checkup. And I think that should be a must for institutions like Bomana,” Justice Mogish said.

“We should have a regular doctor come in say, every three months, and does a check for all of these people inside, irrespective because that’s one way you can stop people from applying for bail, and asking for bail on medical condition.  

“It’s just that they have no access to good doctors from outside. What they have here is a CHW (community health worker), and he’s not a qualified doctor and we really need to upgrade.

“The institution is reluctant to send them down to the hospital because when they go down, one escapes.

“Because of one man’s problem, everybody suffers so the idea is if you are not going to bring them down, you might as well bring one doctor to come and attend to everybody,” he added.

Author: 
Sally Pokiton