The Uganda Prisons Service (UPS) has launched regional medical camps to improve healthcare for its staff, starting with a two-day camp at Mbarara Main Prison.
The initiative, unveiled on Thursday, aims to provide officers with medical check-ups, diagnosis, treatment, and referrals where necessary.
According to Stellah Nabunya Ssendi, the health officer in charge at Uganda Prisons headquarters, the camps are an extension of an earlier exercise held at the headquarters.
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She explained that many staff members struggle to access regular medical services due to their demanding schedules.
“After the medical camp at headquarters, we decided to take the services to the regions of this country starting with Mbarara,” Nabunya said.
“We have noticed that our staff are sometimes so busy and don’t get time for proper medical services, or by the time they come to know that they are sick, it is already too late. Even some staff collapse and die, and when postmortems are done, we find that these staff had health conditions that led to their death.”
The free services on offer include optical and dental care, HIV testing and counselling, blood donation, cervical cancer screening for women, and prostate cancer screening for men, among others.
Dr Aida Ajambo, public health specialist and HIV/TB program manager at Uganda Prisons Service, said all the 269 prison units across the country have health facilities at different levels, with Luzira National Prison hosting the national referral centre.
“The service is doing its work, and we are able to diagnose inmates countrywide. We also have memoranda of understanding with different facilities such as Kampala Hospital, Mengo, Nakasero, Mulago National Referral Hospital, and others based on the need,” Dr. Ajambo said.
Southwestern Uganda Regional Prisons Commander Walter Atuzo welcomed the initiative, noting that it is timely for the 894 staff under his command, who are responsible for more than 7,500 inmates.
“For our staff to be productive, their health must be good, and someone cannot work on their health unless they know what is affecting them. This is an opportunity for us to know our health status, so that in case there is anything, it is treated early and we can be more productive,” Atuzo said.
