DOC OS( XXIII)/324c/I 38 information was confirmed when the delegation met some of the sick prisoners. One was going through an asthma crisis and had been seen that morning by the nurse, who had given him a simple painkiller for his treatment. The prisoners also pointed out to the delegation that those who suffer from tuberculosis are always in contact with the others, even during the first two weeks of treatment, the period during which the illness is potentially highly contagious. At Omaruru prison, there were four sick people in bed, two with high blood pressure, one suffering from AIDS and one from epilepsy. At the Oluno rehabilitation centre, AIDS and respiratory diseases including tuberculosis are the most frequent illnesses. In 2000 there were six prisoners with mental illness in the prison. Five of the 20 prisoners suffering from AIDS in 2000 were released for health reasons. There was one death in that group. On the day of the delegation's visit the 14 other HIV positive prisoners and four other who were diagnosed in 2001 were in hospital. The transport of sick inmates to hospital is a problem given that the prison does not have an ambulance. The nurse is sometimes forced to use her private car for this purpose. At Odangwa police station, the state of some inmates' health was highly critical as three weeks before the police authorities had stopped the transfer of sick prisoners to the hospital. The delegation was told this happened for lack of staff and of means of transport. Some inmates even pleaded in vain that they be given permission to go to the hospital at their own expense. According to the prisoners, the alleged lack of means of transport by the prison authorities is not true as very often the prisoners walked to the hospital (2,500 m). The police station had three deaths in 2000 and 3 in 2001. The clinic in the Grootfontein prison sees on average 20 patients per day. At the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur's delegation, seven inmates were in the "Observation Room for Sick People". Of these seven, only one was ill. It turns out that this observation room is not under the control of the nurse. The prison authorities decide who will be put in this room. At the time of the visit to the cells, at 12:00 that day, the delegation found four sick people who should be under observation for a few days at least in the clinic. Two of these four patients who were suffering respectively from an attack of malaria and an infection of the respiratory system had appointments to see the nurse that day. However, the officer who collected complaints in the various cells that morning had omitted going into the room where these two patients were lying. Of the ten prisoners who receive a special diet, seven have AIDS, two suffer from tuberculosis and one from diabetes. Five deaths have been registered over the last 24 months among the prisoners. All of these deaths occurred in the central hospital where a special room has been prepared for the sick prisoners who need to be hospitalised. At Grootfontein police station, prisoners are unanimous in saying that the prison authorities did not make any effort to help sick prisoners to be seen by a doctor as soon as possible. At the time of the visit of the Special Rapporteur's delegation to the cells, there were at least three sick inmates who urgently needed to be seen by a doctor. One of the three had a nosebleed since that morning. His bleeding had only slowed down through the intervention of a co-detainee who had inserted a bunched up piece of paper into the bleeding nostril. The prison authorities explained that this state of affairs was due to their vehicle having broken down over a week ago and also because their request to the hospital to send a nurse once a week to care for sick prisoners had so far remained unanswered. They added that they had