Prisoners’ jabs start in earnest
ORGANISATIONS representing the rights of prisoners said the Department of Correctional Services (DCS) should ensure that prisoners understand having jab is not using them as guinea pigs to test the effects of the Covid-19 vaccination.
Justice and Correctional Services Minister Ronald Lamola will officially launch the Correctional Services vaccination roll-out programme at the Johannesburg Management Area, today. Lamola's spokesperson, Chrispin Phiri, said both officials and inmates would receive vaccines.
Phiri said vaccination for the majority of officials commenced on Thursday. However, the vaccination of inmates would commence today at the 90 approved vaccination sites in correctional centres across the country.
South African Sentenced and Awaiting Trial Prisoners (Sasapo) chairperson, Phindile Zweni, said the inmate population should have been vaccinated together with the roll-out programme of the officials, because the officials would be interacting with the inmates so as to determine whether the vaccine was effective or not.
"We must remember that the officials have contact with inmates one way or another," said Zweni.
SA Prisoners Organisation for Human Rights (Sapohr) spokesperson Miles Bhudu said the DCS must firstly inform the prisoners about the scientific and medical disadvantages and advantages of the vaccination.
Bhudu said the department must make the inmates understand that taking the jab, was not using them as a guinea pig due to the untrustworthy relationship between prisoners and the warders in the establishment.
He said there would be a monitoring and evaluation mechanism in place that would medically and immediately intervene when those that had taken the jab show signs and symptoms of side effects.
"Finally, taking the jab was voluntary and not forced and prisoners must not be threatened or coerced to be vaccinated," said Bhudu.
Phiri said the DCS remained committed to create a safer working environment for all its officials and the vaccination programme would contribute towards that.
"Both officials and inmates are encouraged to get vaccinated. Awareness campaigns continue to be implemented within DCS to demystify some of the myths around vaccines," said Phiri. He said Lamola would also get vaccinated during the launch. He said inmates also get vaccinated in line with the Nelson Mandela rules commemorated yesterday on Nelson Mandela International Day, which clearly stipulated that inmates should enjoy the same standards of health care available in the community.