Press Release
Plan to Develop the Health System for Detainees in Prison
under the Principle of Universal Human Rights

 
               On 3rd August 2016, Mr. Surachet Satitniramai, M.D., NHRCT Commissioner, as the Chairperson of the Sub-Commission on the Rights of the Elderly, Disabled Persons, LGBT and the Rights to Health, was invited by the Ministry of Public Health to give a lecture on "The Perspective on the Development of Health System for Detainees in Prisons” in the Workshop on “the Development of Health System for Detainees in Prisons”,  3 - 4 August 2016 at Maruay Garden Hotel, Bangkok , with the aim of producing the strategy and action plan of the health system in prison, especially problems and obstacles about the move of detainee to get the medical treatment at a hospital outside the prison. All prisoners have the right to get the standard and effective medical treatment.

              Mr. Satitniramai said that human rights are necessary to the world society and have been continuously evolving until now. All sectors have duties to protect human rights under the international obligations and domestic laws. Though suspects in the prison are offenders with limited rights due to committing crimes, they shall be treated with humanity and dignity like ordinary people. Also, they are entitled to receive the medical treatment even though they are foreigners.

              To protect human rights of detainees by following the principle of human rights and conforming to the resolution of the Cabinet, on 17 November 2015, main related agencies, such as Ministry of Public Health and Department of Corrections, should realize and perform as follows:

                1. Ministry of Public Health
                     1.1 A hospital in the area of prison should have enough medical personnel to take care of detainees in prison, e.g. arranging a physician specialist for specific medical diagnose, sharing medical supplies for hospitals in need. Moreover, the Ministry of Public Health should arrange the basic training course on public health services for correctional officers.
                     1.2 A hospital in the area of prison shall admit detainees to get the medical treatment and should coordinate with the Department of Corrections on the arrangement of a room for detainees transferred from the prison and a place for correctional officers. Both places must be suitable and ensure that detainees will not escape.   

                 2. Department of Corrections
                     2.1 There should be the management and coordination with related agencies in transferring detainees to the medical treatment by providing special measures to facilitate correctional officers.
                     2.2 There should be the management of medical service system in prison for the emergency case with 24 hrs service.
                     2.3 The screening for disease should be always applied in the prison together with providing general knowledge on health should be given to detainees, e.g. Patient with Chronic Disease. The arrangement of mental health treatment for detainees should also be added and they must be continuously cured with proper medicine and medical supply.  
                     2.4 There should be the set up of the video conference system linking the signal between a hospital and a prison to support the case which a specialist is needed.
                     2.5 There should be the linkage of detainees’ data with the National Health Security Office (NHSO) in order to transfer the right to medical treatment of detainees from their domicile.

                   All this, we do hope that the development of health system for detainees in prison will lead to the actual implementation in order to protect rights of detainees in a concrete way with the proper standard.
 
 Office of the National Human Rights Commission of Thailand
4th August 2016
 

05/08/2016