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UNITED NATIONS STANDARD MINIMUM RULES FOR THE TREATMENT OF PRISONERS
(e)
Determining the fitness of prisoners to work, to exercise and to
participate in other activities, as appropriate.
Rule 31
The physician or, where applicable, other qualified health-care professionals
shall have daily access to all sick prisoners, all prisoners who complain of
physical or mental health issues or injury and any prisoner to whom their
attention is specially directed. All medical examinations shall be undertaken
in full confidentiality.
Rule 32
1. The relationship between the physician or other health-care professionals
and the prisoners shall be governed by the same ethical and professional
standards as those applicable to patients in the community, in particular:
(a)
The duty of protecting prisoners’ physical and mental health and the
prevention and treatment of disease on the basis of clinical grounds
only;
(b)
Adherence to prisoners’ autonomy with regard to their own health
and informed consent in the doctor-patient relationship;
(c)
The confidentiality of medical information, unless maintaining such
confidentiality would result in a real and imminent threat to the
patient or to others;
(d)
An absolute prohibition on engaging, actively or passively, in acts that
may constitute torture or other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment
or punishment, including medical or scientific experimentation that
may be detrimental to a prisoner’s health, such as the removal of a
prisoner’s cells, body tissues or organs.
2. Without prejudice to paragraph 1 (d) of this rule, prisoners may be
allowed, upon their free and informed consent and in accordance with
applicable law, to participate in clinical trials and other health research
accessible in the community if these are expected to produce a direct and
significant benefit to their health, and to donate cells, body tissues or organs
to a relative.
Rule 33
The physician shall report to the prison director whenever he or she
considers that a prisoner’s physical or mental health has been or will be
injuriously affected by continued imprisonment or by any condition of
imprisonment.