The General San Juan de Dios and Roosevelt hospitals continue to receive deprived of liberty in external consultation and emergencies, each with internal rules to maintain the safety of personnel and patients. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Health advances in a general protocol to continue the attention to inmates in public care centers.
However, The commitment is that, in the middle of the year, the penitentiary system strengthens the clinics of care in prison centersto occupy the prison population and the cases that move to hospitals are only emergencies, as indicated by the Johana Samayoa doctor, director of the Roosevelt hospital.
The discussion of the protocol for the attention of the deprived of liberty arose following a call that warned about a bomb in the internal medicine area of the Roosevelt hospital, last August. This fact brought to light several direct and anonymous threats against health personnel. The Public Ministry came to register seven complaints.
The general protocol was already reviewed by the authorities of both hospitals, which made suggestions to improve it, such as implementing telemedicine, an exhaustive evaluation of the patient before moving it to hospitals and that other welfare centers admit to the inmates, since most are referred to the general and the Roosevelt. The document is in the process of analysis.
According to the General Directorate of the Penitentiary System (DGSP), CAda week about 30 deprived of liberty are transferred to the public network hospitals to be attended both in the external consultation and in emergencies.
Part of the problem is that, although 22 criminal centers in the country have a medical clinic, with medicine and basic equipment to give primary care to inmates, Only four have a permanent doctor: Preventive of Zone 18, Santa Teresa, Renewal I and Cantel. The only one that lacks such a space is the Matamoros barracks, in zone 1, which shares a doctor with the one located in Mariscal Zavala.
Internal work
Both the Roosevelt Hospital and the San Juan de Dios They have their internal protocol to serve inmates.
In the case of Roosevelt, the presence of the National Civil Police (PNC) and the surrounding army is maintained. Samayoa indicates that there are two clinics outside the emergency area where they are evaluated; If they do not merit attention, they are discarded immediately and return to the preventive. If they arrive by an appointment, they mobilize to the external consultation. It is about expediting the diagnosis or the exams they require, so that they remain as shorter as possible in the hospital. None is not attended to no judge’s order.
There are three people assigned that are the link with the penitentiary system. They are responsible for organizing appointments, receiving inmates, warning if they are high impact and coordinate with doctors to speed up care. Every day, an average of 12 deprived of liberty arrive at the hospital.
While doctors do not agree to receive those deprived of liberty in public hospitals, they do not deny their attention, because, like every human being, they have the right to health.
In the case of the general, there is a specific physical space to serve inmates; However, this is insufficient, because every day up to 15 inmates, and the custodians also remain in the place.
During 2024, the DGSP transferred thousand 409 deprived of liberty to national, regional and departmental hospitals. According to health, most are sent to the general and Roosevelt.
Attention protocol
Risks security in hospitals, such as bomb threats or attacks against deprived of liberty, have led to the discussion of a specialized protocol.
The Ministry of Health indicated that the rules of care already have the technical opinion of hospitals and that security coordination will be made with the DGSP, taking into consideration the degree of danger of inmates.
According to the protocol, the DGSP must comply with the guard and custody of the deprived of liberty, give the link to the link, coordinate with the hospital security team, carry out the transfer of the inmate towards the health center and return it to the detention center.
1 thousand 409 deprived of liberty are transferred a year to public hospitals to receive medical care.
How does it work
According to the protocol, each deprived of liberty must have the full stationery to be transferred to the hospital, including the hospital card in case of attending external consultation, as well as a court order.
In this regard, the DGSP points out that the nurse of each detention center is the one who guard the hospital carnés of the inmates and that, 15 days before the scheduled appointment, the doctor or nurse on duty sends a trade to the director of the Detention Center, who requests the corresponding court for the court order for exit.
If it is a first date, The intervention of the forensic doctor authorized by the National Institute of Forensic Sciences (INACIF) is requested, to issue his opinion on the case and the court has the necessary elements to grant authorization.
In emergency, the doctor or nurse in the center evaluates whether the case can be resolved in the medical clinic of the place or if the transfer merits. In this case, you must send a report to the prison director, who coordinates permission to send it to a hospital.
The DGSP recognizes that Penitentiary staff is limited to carry out the transfer and custody of inmates in health services, So coordinates support with the PNC, according to the degree of danger of inmates.
The protocol indicates that the prisoner transfer unit (UTP) must remain in the hospital until the inmate returns to the prison.
However, the DGSP points out that It does not have enough units so that, after complying with the transfer, you are waiting in the place to the deprived of liberty, since they are used for other movements and take a tour before returning through the inmate to the hospital. However, it is in the process of acquiring more vehicles to meet this requirement.