THE RIGHT TO HEALTH IN PRISON: RESULTS OF A NATIONWIDE SURVEY AND REPORT Significance of the Commission’s Study 1.18 The Commission’s survey is the first time a comprehensive examination of the overall health status of the Malaysian prison population has been conducted. While the Commission notes that there have been other surveys and studies on tuberculosis control programmes8 in prison, this is the first time that a holistic approach to the health care in prison, from the perspective of a national human rights institution has been undertaken. 1.19 Through personal interviews and detailed questions, the Commission’s survey represents the largest single database on the health status of Malaysia’s prison population (2014) and is therefore an invaluable resource for evaluating the effectiveness of current prison health policies and practices. 1.20 The Commission’s report further presents statistical information in a format that can be easily understood, and it is hoped that this report will serve as a prime source of information on the right to health in prison in the country. Scope of the Survey 1.21 Three separate (survey) questionnaires containing multiple choice questions were developed to assess the understanding of the extent of the health needs among prison populations. These questionnaires were developed with the guidance of Medical Doctors,9 including the Medical team in Kajang Prison. At the request of the Prisons Department of Malaysia, the questionnaires were then sent to the Prisons Headquarters for feedback. 1.22 Eighteen prisons nationwide were selected for the survey on the recommendation of the Prisons Department (see table below). 1.23 The focus of this Report is the presentation of salient findings consisting of statistically significant data and analysis, as well as the Commission’s observations. Haider Al-Darraji, Adeeba Kamarulzaman, Frederick L Altice: Latent tuberculosis infection in a Malaysian prison: implications for a comprehensive integrated control program in prisons. BMC Public Health, 2014; and B. Margolis, H. A. A. Al-Darraji, J. A. Wickersham, A. Kamarulzaman, F. L. Altice: Prevalence of tuberculosis symptoms and latent tuberculous infection among prisoners in north-eastern Malaysia, the International Journal of Tuberculosis and Lung Disease, 2013. Accessed via https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/05/140529092059.htm on 26/2/16 9 Prof. Dr. Adeeba Binti Kamarulzaman, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Malaya 8 6