Where the Problem is lies

Where the Problem is lies

There are honorable efforts already implemented that achieved many successes for the advancement of health care in Yemeni prisons during the years 2013 -2014, that has been documented and noticed on the ground, through the establishment of the first Medical Services Department of the Yemeni Rehabilitation and Reform (prisons) to activate and highlight in reality, and provide numerous proposals made to the mechanism of action some colleagues have carried out with persistence with us along with the failure of others. Despite all that the service was delivered to all provinces and medicines were delivered to all prisons and Yemen, and the completion of a comprehensive survey of most of the prisons. We, single-handed, have also set up a health data base of prisoners, efforts and self-financing, of which the findings were shared with the Ministry of Health and the Centre for Research and Service of Health Information by following it up with the ministry, but unfortunately the prisoners’ health details was not included in the health data issued by both Prison Services or the Ministry of Health as such information is an important health data that supports the ministry’s health statistics. Knowing that they were in dire need to know a lot of information and data on health facilities as a facility or employees or services in Yemeni prisons, although the Ministry of Health covers most of them with medicine and staff but all became clear to us that it is on paper only. This was a disaster, but we managed to deal with it by wisdom and professionalism, along with the professional cooperation of colleagues in the humanitarian field. It is worth mentioning that there is a health database of prisoners for more than thirteen provinces completed during the beginning of 2014, related to health care in prisons, but were not taken into account by the official concerned authorities in the Yemeni Prison Service or any official agency involved, or related. Previous studies have emphasized the need for health care for prisoners to improve and fully support, but the past period confirmed that the health care of prisoners must be financially and administratively independent and be under the supervision of qualified and experienced staff in the health field. From practical experience of the process for a long time and work in the same field we did not find the actual response to set up the health care away from the command and control by non-health professionals work, but their dealing with this in a manner not consistent with the humanitarian work. This is the most important obstacle that prompted us to offer more than one proposal on the health care of prisoners and prisons in Yemen for the presidency of the Yemeni Prison Service. There has not been a way for assistant being under a non-specialist or qualified senior officials management to understand and comprehend the size and importance of this humanitarian work but it came out that they worked to fail what has been achieved in a short period, which was praised by international organizations that noted what has been done then. We had to leave the place and stay away from the chaos and corruption after we made every effort to highlight the work and to avoid any problems created by the General Administration of Care Reform, which were given the full support from senior leaders in the Prison Service after all what we have done while we did not find cooperation or response or understanding of our work and neither our profession. Will workshops, discussions and meetings will be the solution and how much of it was before. We conclude that there is a problem to initiate the health care for prisoners, a lack of understanding of what it means and what needs to be done first. The following questions will clarify a lot of it: Where the problem mainly lies? What needs to be done so that there is adequate health care for prisoners? What does it take to implement it? Are there in Yemen suitable environment to initiate medical services for prisoners? What must be available for the success of that? The Ministry of Health has been supervising the health care for prisoners in Yemen by for a long period, what is the outcome today? Is there prisoners’ satisfaction for that service, how and why? Was there an actual care during the last period? What prison officials say re: public hospitals and providing health care for prisoners? Does the Ministry of Health cover all health care in prisons? What are the obstacles that stand in front of health care for prisoners? What is required to be done in order to provide health care for prisoners? Is there a cadre of qualified health covers all prisons? Is there a training and rehabilitation for workers? Is there coordination and cooperation between health care in prisons and humanitarian organizations and the Ministry of Health and civil society organizations? What is the role of the Medical Association and Pharmacists in the health care in prisons? What is the role of educational and academic institutions in health care for prisoners? What has the international humanitarian organizations provided for health care for prisoners? What is the role of the Red Crescent Society in the health care for prisoners? What did it provide during the last period? What the Prison Service have done in this area? Is there a health database in the Yemeni prisons? Was complied for continuity, How and Why? Why health-care health data of Prisons did not fall within the statistics issued by the Ministry of Public Health that? Where are the shortcomings and what are the obstacles?
 Why Health Care in Prisons Work Charter was not carried out? Why a private body or public committee was not formed for Health Care in Prisons? Why doesn’t Health Care in Prisons become an independent body and given its own budget?

_
Major Dr. Ahmed Abdulaziz Nouman

President CEO Manar Scientific Establishment for Health Studies and Research

Member of the International Network to Promote the Rule of Law

Former Director of Medical Services - Presidency of the Yemeni Prison.

Former Director of the Care for Victims of Human Trafficking – Ministry of Interior