saw a case of mental illness where the prisoner in question had been in the punishment cell for 2 years. He still had not been seen by a psychiatrist. I n Tete Provincial Prison, the health centre is composed of two rooms with a total area of approximately 20 m2, located at the end of one of the buildings. It serves as a medical unit (hospital ward). It is clean and meets minimum requirements with regards to equipment and medicine. A health worker, who is a prisoner, is the only full time member of staff. A nurse has been contracted to visit the prison 3 times a week to examine minor complaints and send the more serious cases to hospital. The most frequent disorders and diseases are malaria, diarrhoea and AIDS. Five AIDS related deaths have been recorded among prisoners in the last 3 years. Ten sick prisoners sent to the hospital in 2000 due to common infections were found to be HIV positive. The high percentage of AIDS infected prisoners in the prison population is explained by the fact that Tete is one of the provinces which has been most affected by AIDS in Mozambique. All of the patients seen during our visit to cells had the ne,.essary medicines for the treatment of their illnesses During its visit, the , ILI, 2 Won was informed by a nurse from a Roman Catholic NGO, based in Tete, th,ii ,i % accination campaign for meningitis should be immediately started for prisoners. I n Machava Maximum Security Prison, there is a hospital ward. A doctor has been contracted to examine prisoners 3 times a week. Permanent staff include 2 nurses and a health worker. The hospital ward has the equipment and pharmaceuticals it needs. At the time of the visit there were only 2 cases of tuberculosis, which were at a stage of intensive treatment, and one case of abdominal pain. They were all being treated in the prison hospital ward. Two patients with AIDS were hospitalised in the central hospital. One of the UNDP financed prison buildings has been entirely renovated and now serves as a model in terms of medical treatment facilities for all other prisons. At the time of our visit, renovation work was almost complete and prison authorities said the necessary equipment would be installed after work was finished. of charge. Judging by the appointments book for medical visits, the rate of illness is very low in this prison. The death rate is also low. During 2000 there was one single death reported, resulting from cerebral malaria. During the delegation's visit to the cells, three of the four patients seen had managed to obtain medicine through their own efforts. The fourth had decided to wait for his appointment at the health centre and eventually received new medicines. No cases of malnutrition were noted during visit to the prison cells. The only case of dermatosis was a case of vitiligo which was in no way connected to prison promiscuity. In Tete Maximum Security Prison, the detainees are sent to the provincial hospital for all ailments as the prison does not have any medical service. Skin diseases are the most common problem among prisoners who live in an extremely unhealthy environment with an almost complete lack of ventilation. All the prisoners arriving from Tete Maximum Security Prison and transferred to Tete Provincial Prison are isolated upon arrival in a special room for treatment of dermatological complaints. Only afterwards are they allowed to join the other prisoners. I n Moatize District Prison, 4 of the 39 inmates were suffering from severe malnutrition. One was suffering (rum subictere with hepatalgia. Another prisoner was suffering from severe swelling of the left cheek caused by a buccodental infection. None of these complaints had ever been examined in a hospital. However, the Director of Tete Provincial Prison, who accompanied us on our visit, immediately took the necessary measures to ensure that all these cases were forwarded to the hospital without delay. O ther prisons visited did not have health centres. For instance, Mabalane Penitentiary Prison does not have any medical services or means of transport that could be used to take patients to hospital. Fellow inmates transport sick prisoners to the health centre. One inmate, a former student of the institute of sciences, who has knowledge of flist aid, carries out a preliminary examination of complaints and, after authorisation has been given by the prison warden, accompanies them to the health centre where they are examined and treated free 24 25