The right of convicts to health care and medical assistance is not ensured in the Chernihiv SIZO

On September 23 of this year, employees of the Secretariat of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Commissioner for Human Rights and the regional coordinator of interaction with the public of the Commissioner in Chernihiv region, together with a representative of the public, carried out a repeated monitoring visit to the Chernihiv pre-trial detention center of the State Penitentiary Service of Ukraine in Chernihiv region.

According to the results of the visit, the monitors noted that most of the recommendations provided during the previous visit in April 2016 were not taken into account by the administration of the institution.

Thus, the cells of the pre-trial detention center remain not equipped with forced ventilation, the walls of some cells are damp, the plumbing in most cells is in a neglected state and needs to be updated. The institution has not taken measures to ensure prisoners have access to drinking boiled water, as well as the right to privacy. In almost all the cells visited, the beds are located close to each other, which limits the detainees to sufficient personal space.

The solitary confinement cells intended for holding violators are located in semi-basement rooms. They are characterized by low ceilings, insufficient natural and artificial lighting, and semi-darkness.

The monitoring group noted that the management of the isolator has also ignored the issue of the initial medical examination of newly arrived persons, which is currently carried out in the corridor of the collective unit in the presence of other persons, which actually violates the prisoners’ right to confidentiality about their health.

In addition, the cells of the specified department, in which newly arrived persons are temporarily held, are not equipped with forced ventilation, a bathroom and a table, they do not have enough natural lighting and limited access to fresh air, there are no tanks with drinking boiled water. The temperature in the cells at the time of the visit did not exceed 16 ° C.

One of the “features” of the specified detention center was that, according to representatives of the administration, one of the cells of the collective department during the absence of prisoners is used for issuing (receiving) weapons by the next shift, since it is located close to the next part of the detention center.

As was the case six months ago, the bathhouse for prisoners is under repair, which is especially contrasting against the background of the renovated shower room for the institution’s staff.

Prisoners remain limited in their access to information about organizations to which they can turn for protection and restoration of their rights.

Contrary to the requirements of the Criminal Executive Code of Ukraine, funds for food are withheld from the income of convicts who are left in the isolation facility for economic maintenance.

The monitoring group noted that medical care for persons held in the isolation facility is provided improperly.

The medical unit lacks diagnostic equipment, and the hospital is not equipped, which makes it impossible to provide inpatient treatment for patients. The position of psychiatrist has remained unfilled for a long time.

The initial medical examination of prisoners with the establishment of diagnoses is carried out only by a paramedic. As a rule, the specified medical worker also conducts outpatient admissions, diagnostics and treatment.

The isolation ward does not provide 24-hour medical workers on duty, so such workers are absent at night. Dispensary records are not organized. Medical records are kept according to free samples and in an improper manner.

The room for outpatient admissions in the security building, which is also used as a dressing and manipulation room, is absolutely unsuitable for use for such purposes in terms of sanitary and hygienic condition and arrangement. The dental office is also in an improper sanitary condition.

The medical staff of the isolation ward does not have knowledge of the basic provisions of the regulatory acts that regulate the organization and provision of medical care.

The participants of the visit studied the issue of providing comprehensive services for the prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS. Currently, 32 HIV-positive individuals are being held in the detention center, of whom 22 are receiving highly active antiretroviral therapy. Such prisoners are fully provided with medication and have access to medical examinations. The facility has created sufficient conditions for pre- and post-test counseling.

Based on the results of the visit regarding the violation of prisoners’ right to health care and medical assistance, a submission by the Commissioner for Human Rights will be sent to the Ministry of Justice of Ukraine, as well as a report for taking response measures and bringing the conditions of detention in detention centers into line with national and international standards.