Vol. 481 No. 3
131 Ms Shortall asked the Minister for Justice, Equality and Law Reform if he will give details of the medical service available to prisoners in Mountjoy Prison giving precise details in relation to the number and type of doctors employed, the number of hours worked, the frequency of clinics and so on. [16040/97]
It is policy that all prisoners are provided with medical and dental service of an equivalent standard to those provided in the general community to patients covered by the Health Acts. Primary care medical services are provided within the prisons by general practitioners. Where specialist services are recommended these are provided on an out-patient or in-patient basis in external hospitals, as appropriate.
A total of eight part-time general practitioners work in Mountjoy Prisons, six in the male prison and two in the female prison. In the male prison three clinics are provided per day for a total of three to four hours. In the female prison, one clinic of one-and-a-half hours' duration, is provided per day.
Six psychiatric clinics per week are provided by four visiting psychiatrists for the male prison. In general these clinics last for two to three hours each. In the female prison one clinic is held each week, lasting approximately one-and-a-half hours. Prisoners who require in-patient psychiatric services can be transferred to the Central Mental Hospital. The psychiatrists are available outside normal working hours in an emergency.
The overall organisation of medical and psychiatric services within Mountjoy Prison is being reviewed with the intention of bringing about any necessary improvements.
