EUROsociAL+ helps the Chilean Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Health and Gendarmerie to create a new prison health management model
Healthcare is a basic aspect of prison life. The characteristics of the inmate population, and the prevalence of certain conditions, make healthcare extremely important in prisons. Healthcare is part of an integral inmate care concept and prisoners’ first contact with health services is often during intake, making this an opportunity not only to detect health problems but also to encourage healthier living habits.
International organisations in prison matters state that the healthcare provided to inmates must respect the principle of equivalence of care. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights underlined states’ responsibility to ensure inmate welfare.
EUROsociAL+ is supporting the Chilean government in creating a new prisoner healthcare management model. The new model will gradually improve healthcare conditions in prisons and the general health of prisoners by redesigning the processes between the various institutions involved (Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Health and the Gendarmerie) and defining standard procedures that will make these institutions more efficient and complementary.
After an initial technical assistance phase in December 2017 to evaluate the prison health situation in Chile and a visit to Spain and Italy in January 2018 to learn about different European models on the topic, from 3 to 7 December 2018, a workshop and technical assistance was held to drive the design of the new model. The first two days of the workshop dealt with the authorities of the institutions involved, approaches and visions to guide the model design, while on the three following days progress was made with the inter-institutional team on the model design. Two Spanish prison experts from the Spanish Interior Ministry and an Italian expert from the Health Services of Italy (ASL Frosinone) participated in this initiative.
During the visits in January 2018 and the workshop, they gained a thorough understanding of the models and good practices implemented in Spain and Italy, which has enriched the Government of Chile’s approach to its prison health system. In Spain, the Interior Ministry is responsible for prison healthcare with doctors and staff, structures and institutional resources. Since 1998 Italy has gradually progressed towards the total migration of prison healthcare to the public health system, Ministry of Health and Regions. Both systems have their strengths and weaknesses, which were among the main topics during the first two days of the workshop. In addition, the results of the diagnosis made in Chile were revealed during the workshop. At the end of the workshop, a Model Prison Health management document for Chile was prepared and presented to the Chilean authorities, which included three alternatives, analysing the implementation of each. The document is intended to assist the Chilean authorities in defining the model to be implemented.
EUROsociAL+ is a cooperation programme between Latin America and the European Union aimed at improving social cohesion in Latin American countries, as well as strengthening their institutions by supporting their design processes, reform and implementation of public policies. This activity forms part of the strategy to give access to justice from the Democratic Governance policies area coordinated by the FIIAPP in coordination with the Social Policies area coordinated by IILA.
Área de políticas de gobernanza democrática, FIIAPP. Democratic governance area, FIIAPP / EUROsociAL+
