HIV treatment plans inadequate in South African prisons
OpenForum | December 7, 2009 | 0 Comments
Photo © Gemma Longman
Many prisoners living with HIV are denied access to adequate antiretroviral drugs, leaving them susceptible to opportunistic infections. Recently, prisoners have increasingly demanded HIV treatment. In 2006, South African inmates launched a hunger strike, demanding that the government provide antiretroviral (ARV) treatment for infected prisoners. In response, Judge Thumba Pillay of the High Court ordered the Department of Correctional Services to adopt a comprehensive HIV/AIDS plan for prisons throughout South Africa. The ruling mandated that prisoners be provided access not only to ARVs but also to health facilities, regular counseling, and adequate nutrition. Unfortunately, this integrated ideal has yet to be translated into practical implementation.
Three years later, inmates at the Westville Correctional Centre, where the hunger strike occurred, and lobbyists from the South Africa-based Treatment Action Campaign (TAC) continue to push for full compliance with the judicial decree. In a recent Plus News article, prisoners remarked on the uneven results of the court order, stating that while ARVs are now more available, the prison support services remain inadequate. Successful ARV treatment therapies depend upon consistent drug regimens and good nutrition, but unsanitary conditions, food shortages, and overcrowding make it difficult for prisoners to benefit fully from the drugs.
According to the United Nations Human Rights Committee, prisoners should have access to medical care equivalent to that available in the community without discrimination on the grounds of their legal status. As the World Health Organization points out in its report Effectiveness of Interventions to Address HIV in Prisons, institutions like the Westville Correctional Centre represent key points of contact with millions of individuals living with or at high risk of HIV infection. This population, normally largely out of the reach of community medical systems, can greatly benefit from care, support, and education. Most inmates will eventually be released, and a comprehensive HIV protocol in prisons can help spread awareness to the larger community.