NGOZI March 2nd (ABP) – Women detained at Ngozi Prison are seeking an HIV / AIDS unit for more care and effective monitoring of their pregnancies. According to a mother who requested anonymity, women, infants and children are infected even before their detention while others are newly infected. “Yes, the prisoners are women like others who need to satisfy their sexual instincts,” said one inmate. “They need screening or treatment. Preferably, a specialized unit within the institution. ”
According to her, the demand for an internal unit is due to the fact that the prisoners have difficulties to consult the care facilities outside the prison, including the Ngozi autonomous hospital.
Inmates must be allowed to go out with an escort of police officers. Most of the time, however, the latter are difficult to have since the security guards assigned to the prison are in very limited numbers. Prisoners are therefore forced to wait for their availability in the meantime the disease worsens. They thus find it difficult to acquire antiretrovirals as they are not free of movement.
Others have argued that pregnant inmates with HIV / AIDS have difficulties in monitoring pregnancies as part of the Mother-to-Child Transmission Prevention Program (PTME). The Association of solidarity with prisoners, ASP Ntabariza, which supports prison houses, finds the request very relevant.
The legal representative of that association, Mr. Jean Marie Nshimirimana, promises to look into the request. Meanwhile ASP intends to make available to the prisons for women and men of Ngozi a permanent Doctor. Currently, both prisons have a nursing service. The latter provides care for uncomplicated cases. Serious cases are referred to the public and private structures of Ngozi.
Ngozi Central Women’s Prison is the only prison facility in the country that accommodates female prisoners. It is totally a house with a small number of inmates. With a capacity of 250 inmates, it counted as of February 28th, 99 only. Among them, 96 women, 3 minors and 18 infants including 10 boys and 8 girls. 51 inmates have been definitively sentenced as long as 48 remain pre-trial detainees.
The directorate of that prison says that the small number is due to the release following the last Presidential pardon of January 31, 2018.