The Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform, Mr. John O'Donoghue T.D., today released the Expert Group Report on the structure and organisation of prison health care services.
The Group was established by the Minister in November, 1999, under the chairmanship of Mr. John Olden, formerly Secretary of Roinn na Gaeltachta and currently a member of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (CPT). The Group met in plenary session on a total of thirteen occasions. Its membership included nominated representatives of the various national professional bodies with a direct interest in the provision of health care in prisons together with senior representatives of the Department of Health and Children, Department of Finance, and prisons management.
To inform its deliberations, the Group sought submissions from a wide range of interested parties via newspaper advertisements and direct correspondence. They visited all prison establishments in the country. In addition, members of the Group visited Northern Ireland, Scotland and Denmark to gather information on the management of prisoner health care in those jurisdictions. The Minister thanked the Chairman and all the members of the Expert Group for their analysis of this issue and their recommendations.
In its deliberations, the Group reviewed the considerable practical difficulties inherent in the provision of health care in a custodial setting. In this context, particular attention was paid to the increasingly multidisciplinary basis of health care delivery. The Minister accepts that the achievement of the recommendations outlined in this Report will require considerable dialogue and negotiation with both health care and prison interests.
The Minister has sent the Report to the Director General of the Prisons Service and requested him to pursue this matter with the other interests involved with a view to ensuring that the necessary measures are taken to improve the general health care available to prisoners. |
