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| Prisoner health among Australias poorest |
28-Jun-2006 |
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By Chris Hingston
PRISONS are a “microcosm” of Australia’s poorest health, burdened by hepatitis C and mental illness, according to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare director Dr Penny Allbon.
For the first time, prison health statistics have been included in the AIHW’s national health report card, Australia
’
s Health 2006, with the results reflecting Australian prisoners’ poor physical and mental health, Dr Allbon said.
According to the report, prison entrants were 25 times more likely to have hepatitis C than the general population.
Almost 60% of prisoners in NSW, Queensland, Tasmania and WA had a history of drug injection and of these 56% had hepatitis C, the report stated.
Mental health was also flagged — with a study of NSW prisoners finding 78% of men and 90% of women assessed at entry had at least one mental illness diagnosis.
Associate Professor Tony Butler, research manager for Justice Health NSW, said 27% of the prison population in NSW was imprisoned for less than eight days, meaning unaddressed health issues were also an issue for the broader community.
The report found that Indigenous Australians made up 22% of the 25,353 permanent prison population.
Canberra GP Dr Joo-Inn Chew, who worked in Belconnen Remand Centre for 18 months, said prisons were a “double-edged sword”, where prisoners’ health problems could be aided or exacerbated.
She said the prison population generally came from a low socioeconomic background, with a history of poor health care.
She said she typically dealt with mental illness and drug-related complaints, but also noted the high prevalence of dental, musculoskeletal and dermatological complaints.
However, she noted that prisons provided good rehabilitation for some drug users and praised preventive health measures such as hepatitis B vaccinations.
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