THE NELSON MANDELA RULES
9
equipped to provide prisoners referred to them with appropriate treatment
and care.
2. Clinical decisions may only be taken by the responsible health-care
professionals and may not be overruled or ignored by non-medical prison staff.
Rule 28
In women’s prisons, there shall be special accommodation for all necessary
prenatal and postnatal care and treatment. Arrangements shall be made
wherever practicable for children to be born in a hospital outside the prison.
If a child is born in prison, this fact shall not be mentioned in the birth
certificate.
Rule 29
1. A decision to allow a child to stay with his or her parent in prison shall
be based on the best interests of the child concerned. Where children are
allowed to remain in prison with a parent, provision shall be made for:
(a)
Internal or external childcare facilities staffed by qualified persons,
where the children shall be placed when they are not in the care of
their parent;
(b)
Child-specific health-care services, including health screenings upon
admission and ongoing monitoring of their development by specialists.
2. Children in prison with a parent shall never be treated as prisoners.
Rule 30
A physician or other qualified health-care professionals, whether or not
they are required to report to the physician, shall see, talk with and examine
every prisoner as soon as possible following his or her admission and
thereafter as necessary. Particular attention shall be paid to:
(a)
Identifying health-care needs and taking all necessary measures for
treatment;
(b)
Identifying any ill-treatment that arriving prisoners may have been
subjected to prior to admission;
(c)
Identifying any signs of psychological or other stress brought on by
the fact of imprisonment, including, but not limited to, the risk of
suicide or self-harm and withdrawal symptoms resulting from the
use of drugs, medication or alcohol; and undertaking all appropriate
individualized measures or treatment;
(d)
In cases where prisoners are suspected of having contagious
diseases, providing for the clinical isolation and adequate treatment
of those prisoners during the infectious period;