Sick inmates in Arua Prison will no-longer have to walk to the referral hospital to test for malaria, tuberculosis or typhoid after the prison’s health centre acquired modern testing equipment.
The Shs 2.5 million multi-purpose binocular microscope of the Olympus type has been described by Dr. Lou Lois, the Arua Inspector of Laboratory Services, as the backbone of any medical laboratory.
The health centre, housed in a temporary metal shelter inside the prison, will also be used for HIV screening of the inmates and prison staff.

Dr. Alex Odama Alidria, the Zonal TB and Leprosy Supervisor, who delivered the equipment on February 3, said that the facility is also intended to serve the nearby Giligili Prison.

This, he said, will help stop the practice of marching sick inmates to the referral hospital for screening.
He asked the prison authorities to provide land for the construction of better structures that can enable the health centre to serve the patients and the surrounding community in a decent environment.

He also urged the prison officials to promote voluntary counseling and testing for HIV, saying that demand for such services is usually high among inmates.

“First, because of the fact that those found HIV positive are exempted from manual work and secondly because we suspect that the transmission of HIV is going on among them since the disease was first diagnosed among homosexual prisoners according to its historical origin,” he pointed out.

Kenneth Mugabiirwe, the Regional Prisons Commander North Western Region, said that invigorating the prison health facility is a welcome initiative that will enable inmates to access better health care and enjoy their basic human right.

Bernard Atiku, Arua District Social Services committee Chairman who led the team that delivered the equipment, challenged the prison authorities to ensure efficient utilisation of the facility. He said that inmates are taxpayers whose detention should not be a barrier to proper health.

He suggested that prisoners be screened for TB and other contagious diseases to avoid unregulated mingling with others and employ a referral and discharge system that can be monitored once they are released from jail. Arua Prison has about 600 inmates, 30 of whom are women, and more than 130 staff who stay with their families in the prison barracks.

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