Laben Mwigo, the Welfare and Rehabilitation Officer at Masaka Central Prison says that the facility, built more than 50 years ago, does not have enough space to create an isolation ward or unit for persons with mental health challenges who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Prison authorities in Masaka have decried the absence of special facilities of the detention of mentally challenged suspects and inmates.
Laben Mwigo, the Welfare and Rehabilitation Officer at Masaka Central Prison says that the facility, built more than 50 years ago, does not have enough space to create an isolation ward or unit for persons with mental health challenges who find themselves on the wrong side of the law.
Although it was designed to accommodate a maximum of 200 inmates, the prison currently houses 1,041 inmates.
Mwigo says that persons with Mental illness require an environment that supports their recovery, without violating their own rights and the rights of other inmates.
Dr Canaan Kateregga, the In-charge of the Masaka Regional Referral Hospital Mental Unit, says that they receive between 10 and 12 inmates with mental issues in a quarter. The conditions are mainly due to drug and alcohol abuse, stress, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy and accidents.
Davis Buyondo
Freelancer
