Correctional Services guard against cholera
WE are wary of the cholera outbreak in some parts of the country, although the correctional service has not received any report of cholera in any of its facilities, but our health directorate is working round the clock to sensitize the inmates on the outbreak and hygiene concerns attached to living in congested cells, Zambia Correctional Service head of public relations Margaret Nawa has disclosed.
Ms Nawa said the correctional service was aware of the cholera outbreak in Lusaka and had put the matter on top of its agenda to ensure that none of the inmates contracted the disease nationwide.
She said that the correctional service had over the past years not had cases of cholera in its facilities due to the strict hygiene measures that were routinely put in place.
Ms Nawa told the Daily Nation that the correctional service was working with the Ministry of Health to ensure that all health related matters were not overlooked.
She said the health directorate was constantly sensitizing the inmates on the importance of adhering to appropriate hygiene practices.
“Indeed our cells are congested, and this is what has made us to emphasize that inmates should exercise proper hygiene in their living conditions and we will always work towards continuously sensitizing the inmates on the dangers of having an outbreak of a disease like cholera in our facilities, Ms Nawa said.
She said all correctional facilities countrywide had medical doctors who were tasked to attend to health related matters that affected the prisoners.
“We treasure the lives of inmates, since we realize that these people are in our facilities for purposes of reformation and as such we make sure that they are well taken care of, and our health personnel are always alert to attend to them, so we are always cautious with communicable diseases such as cholera,” Ms Nawa said.
She said the correctional service had always had on going awareness campaigns even before the outbreak of cholera to ensure that all correctional services were were free of communicable diseases.