THE RIGHT TO HEALTH IN PRISON: RESULTS OF A NATIONWIDE SURVEY AND REPORT (2) Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Where hospital facilities are provided in an institution, their equipment, furnishings and pharmaceutical supplies shall be proper for the medical care and treatment of sick prisoners, and there shall be a staff of suitable trained officers.” 4.33 In 2007, the World Health Organisation convened a meeting in Trencín, Slovakia, focusing on mental health in prisons. A criterion agreed there was that: “Promoting mental health and well-being should be central to a prison’s health care policy.122 This will address such matters as the general prison environment, prison routines and levels of prisoner activity, education and work opportunities, and staff prisoner relationships” (Trencín Statement on Prisons and Mental Health [WHO, 2007]).123 4.34 While Principle 9 of the UN Basic Principles for the Treatment of Prisoners (1990)124 states that “Prisoners shall have access to the health services available in the country without discrimination on the grounds of their legal situation”, Human Rights Watch has in the past commented that prisons are usually ill-equipped to respond appropriately to the needs of prisoners with mental illness.125 4.35 Despite the incidences of psychiatric symptoms and mental illnesses in prisons,126 involving both prisoners and prison staff alike, there are no standardised screening (by professionals) and management programmes for mental health in any of the prisons in Malaysia. 4.36 Unfortunately, the Ministry of Health does not provide adequate psychiatric services to all prisons, but occasionally, visiting psychiatric consultants from the Ministry perform a once-a-month psychiatric assessment on a handful of prisoners, usually decided by either prison officers or doctors, both whom are not qualified to make such assessments. 4.37 Moreover, no separate wards are dedicated in prison to accommodate prisoners with mental illnesses to cater for their needs. Such a setting may in the Commission’s view favour negative consequences on prisoners’ health and prison staff attitude toward these prisoners. http://www.commonwealthhealth.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/05/4-mental-health-care-prisons-hurd.pdf 23/2/2016 123 Accessed via http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0006/99006/E91402.pdf on 29/2/16 124 http://www.un.org/documents/ga/res/45/a45r111.htm accessed on 23/2/16 125 https://www.hrw.org/news/2009/09/22/mental-illness-human-rights-and-us-prisons accessed on 23/2/16 126 Survey findings (see Chapter 3) 122 70 accessed on