Abigail Lucas
11/19/09
Doctors, nurses and pharmacists are refusing to work in South Africa’s prisons, the turnover time for healthcare workers range from one day to a year. Maria Mabena, the director of health and physical care in the department of correctional services stated that the biggest challenge for the department is a lack of adequately trained nurses in primary health care. There is not only a lack of trained doctors and nurses but there is also a lack of resources. This has a huge impact on the management of “priority” diseases such as tuberculosis, diabetes, hypertension, and mental illness. The lack of access they have to drugs cause’s complications and drug resistance. Mabena said that in one management area the department had to wait six months before they were able to access TB drugs. Two of the biggest challenges with the health care in prisons is the overcrowding which impacts the delivery of healthcare and the turnaround times for laboratory results. “Offenders must have the same access and quality and range of health care as those rendered to the community. The person’s ability to access to services should not be compromised because they have been incarcerated.” Even with their challenges they have a great working relationship with the department of health and there are elements of good cooperation taking place.
It is completely understandable why it is hard to keep doctors, nurses, and pharmacists working in the prisons. Working in any kind of prison is probably not the easiest or the best job that someone could have. When you add to that all of the problems that they have getting adequate drugs and medicines necessary for the inmates the stress of these situations could cause people to want people to quit their job working in the prisons.
http://www.timeslive.co.za/news/article199700.ece
2 comments:
Africa's health care system suffers so much, it's really hard to think about. All the medicine and personnel that they need to treat their diseases are scarce, and their diseases are getting more and more prevalent due to no treatment or prevention. What a double-edged sword for a struggling country, they definitely can't get ahead on the health care issue.
I think that this is sad that people with the skills and training are not willing to help these sick people in Afica. You are right though, it seems like they are never going to be able ti get ahead in the area of health care.
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