Police to Test Suspects for HIV Before Putting them in Jail

Police will screen all suspects for infections including HIV as they they are being booked into police cells.

This is in a bid to protect detainees in detention facilities from being innfected with transmitable diseases, the procedure is being instituted thanks to funding from the Global Fund.

The innitiative is being implemeneted under a program codenamed; “Breaking the Barriers Initiative,” which aims at controlling the spread of HIV, TB and Malaria among inmates.

This three year initiative, stretching from 2024 to 2026 is meant to ensure that suspects are screened for HIV, TB and Malaria before detention.

Dr. Bernard Ndiwalana, the head of clinical services in Uganda Police Force-UPF, says that this initial screening is geared towards providing adequate information pertaining the health wellbeing of suspects before detaining them in police cells.

Ndiwalana says that, the data captured from the suspects enables them to detect those who are infected with HIV, so that arrangements are made for them to continue with their treatment, despite living under detention.

Those with malaria he says are quickly started on treatment.

For TB, Ndiwalana says that the suspects are screened and those who test positive for the same are isolated in special rooms, which enables them to arrange for their timely treatment. 

Ndiwalana further says that most of the police cells across the country are small in size, which affects isolation protocols.  He adds says that police plans to improvise isolation spaces at all police stations across the country, which will deter spread of contagious diseases among suspects during detention. 

Ndiwalana adds that they have designated special registers at the different police where the medical data of suspects is captured and shared among the different institutions in the criminal justice system, which will ease their access to health.

Barbara Masinde, the chief state attorney of Makindye who doubles as the project coordinator, says that the project was first initiated in 2018 following a baseline survey, which indicated that the criminal justice system was infringing on the inmates’ right to health.

Masinde says that this informed the implementation of the global fund project, which she credits for improving access to screening services by all inmates, uptake of medication among those infected and deterrence of further spread of contagious diseases within detention facilities. 

Masinde says that, contagious diseases like TB spread in small congested cells with poor airation, require compulsory screening services to deter new infections among detainees. 

“These are Standard Operating Procedures-SOPs, which were signed by the Inspector General of Police, allowing compulsory screening of suspects to TB and other illnesses. This breaks the chain of new infections among suspects detained in the same cell and enables isolation before further prosecutions,” Masinde says.

Masinde says that they have registered progress in terms of ensuring equitable healthcare access within the criminal justice system, with 91% of the inmates having access to quality healthcare services.