Maputo (Mozambique), 16 June 2020 – In June 2020, the United Nations Office on Drugs (UNODC) donated a clinic to the Mozambique National Prisons Service (SERNAP) to provide primary health care, sexual and reproductive health care and HIV counseling and treatment services to incarcerated juveniles at the Boane Special Juvenile Recovery Penitentiary Facility in Maputo. Funded by the Swedish government under the “Supporting Minimum Standards for HIV, Health and Rights of Prison Populations of Sub-Saharan Africa” project, UNODC procured, equipped and furnished the container clinic so it can directly and effectively respond to the juvenile’s health needs.
The new clinic is equipped with a ceramic toilet and lavatory, water deposit, air conditioners, chairs, office desks and fixed blocks, cabinets, electronic blood pressure monitors and Astra scales. On 16 June 2020, in an official ceremony, Mr. Cesar Guedes, UNODC Country Representative handed over the clinic to H.E. Helena Mateus Kida, Minister of Justice, Religious and Constitutional Affairs, and Dr. Jeremias Armando Cumbe, Director General of Mozambique’s National Prison Service (SERNAP).
Medical officers welcomed the clinic as a significant improvement over holding HIV/AIDS counselling sessions outdoors. The new facility also permits medication to be stored under required conditions and reduces the need for outpatient treatment with its related security concerns.
Boane Special Juvenile Recovery Penitentiary Facility has a regular school curriculum including workshops for handicrafts, tailoring, and farming facilities. This donated clinic ensures that the life skills training of these juveniles are complemented with the necessary health education and care so that they may grow into healthy, productive adults.