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AIDS taking toll among prison inmates and staff

AIDS taking toll among prison inmates and staff

ONLY a third of those prison inmates in Namibia who know their HIV status are receiving anti-retroviral treatment (ART), while the Prison Service does not know how many inmates are actually HIV positive, Deputy Minister Gabes Shihepo acknowledged when he motivated the budget of N$212,2 million for that department, which falls under the Ministry of Safety and Security.

A total of 4 021 inmates were in Namibian prisons by March 31 2006, Shihepo told the National Assembly, which is an overcrowding of five per cent. According to statistics obtained last month, 339 inmates (ten per cent) were known to be HIV positive, but only 110 prisoners were on ART.”HIV-AIDS is a major concern in most of our institutions and the number of AIDS patients is drastically increasing,” Shihepo stated.Testing prisoners for HIV-AIDS is not mandatory, and some inmates do not volunteer for testing, so the exact number is unknown.”The blood testing of the HIV-AIDS patients is very costly,” he added.The medical costs of inmates are skyrocketing, as those on ART need special diets to boost their immune system.The Prison Service is also feeling the impact of HIV-AIDS among staff.Shihepo said the service’s sick list and number of deaths were testimony to the magnitude of the impact to the department, although information on HIV-AIDS was confidential.Shihepo then told the House that the Prison Service had at last started with a pilot project for the rehabilitation petty offenders, involving 400 inmates at the Windhoek Central Prison, while reintegration programmes have also increased.The first 150 petty offenders have started doing community service in northern Namibia.On the positive side, prisoners doing time in the Divundu rehab centre in the Kavango Region, the Oluno piggery, the Hardap Prison, where lucerne and vegetables are grown, and the Scott Farm are learning farming skills while at the same time producing food for prisons.”By now we have the capability to produce 60 per cent of our maize meal requirements.Products coming from those agricultural efforts saved the Prison Service N$2,9 million in the past year,” the Deputy Minister reported.According to statistics obtained last month, 339 inmates (ten per cent) were known to be HIV positive, but only 110 prisoners were on ART.”HIV-AIDS is a major concern in most of our institutions and the number of AIDS patients is drastically increasing,” Shihepo stated.Testing prisoners for HIV-AIDS is not mandatory, and some inmates do not volunteer for testing, so the exact number is unknown. “The blood testing of the HIV-AIDS patients is very costly,” he added.The medical costs of inmates are skyrocketing, as those on ART need special diets to boost their immune system.The Prison Service is also feeling the impact of HIV-AIDS among staff.Shihepo said the service’s sick list and number of deaths were testimony to the magnitude of the impact to the department, although information on HIV-AIDS was confidential.Shihepo then told the House that the Prison Service had at last started with a pilot project for the rehabilitation petty offenders, involving 400 inmates at the Windhoek Central Prison, while reintegration programmes have also increased.The first 150 petty offenders have started doing community service in northern Namibia.On the positive side, prisoners doing time in the Divundu rehab centre in the Kavango Region, the Oluno piggery, the Hardap Prison, where lucerne and vegetables are grown, and the Scott Farm are learning farming skills while at the same time producing food for prisons.”By now we have the capability to produce 60 per cent of our maize meal requirements.Products coming from those agricultural efforts saved the Prison Service N$2,9 million in the past year,” the Deputy Minister reported.

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