Table 1 Prison Health Committees (PrHC) Published Terms of Reference [49]

Every prison shall have a PrHC whose membership will comprise ZCS officers and inmates. The committee will be overseen by one prisons staff preferably the HIV coordinator. For purposes of adequately receiving and addressing inmates’ health concerns, the PrHC shall have a subcommittee comprising inmates and overseen by a ZCS officer preferably the HIV Coordinator. The Prison facility management (e.g. Officer In-Charge with authority from the ZCS-HD) shall have the authority to appoint those serving on the prisons health committees, including inmates who shall be selected from those with health backgrounds and/or those considered reformed/well behaved. However, inmates to serve on this subcommittee should be those that have received some training on health issues e.g. Peer Educators, HIV Counsellors. It is important for PrHC members to know that PrHC work is voluntary. Involvement in the PrHC will be unpaid, but will involve capacity building and participation in decision making related to facility-level health issues and services.

Specific Duties:

 • Act as a link between inmates and the health centre/prison administration on health matters

 • Work together with other inmates to identify health problems in prisons

 • Work together with Prison Administration to address identified health concerns in prisons

 • Jointly coordinate health activities in prisons according to ZCS-HD directives

 • Provide a platform for discussion of health issues between inmates representatives and Prison Administration

 • Ensure that all inmates participate in prisons health activities

 • Collate and routinely report on health service information to ZCS-HD and ZCS HQ.