The Health Committee of the National JL Assembly says there Is need to improve conditions in Malawi's to match those at Mzimba Prison touted to be of international standards.

The committee's chairperson Austin Mtukula said this last Thursday during a tour of Mzuzu Prison which was organised by reproductive health services providers Banja la Mtsogolo (BLM). The tour was organised to enable the legislators appreciate problems existing in the country's prisons so that they help BLM lobby for funds for its 'Health in Prison' programme.

"As MPs we are not happy with the pathetic situation in most prisons. "We should improve the conditions to match those at Mzimba Prison,said Mtukula "We also urgently need to address congestion [In our prisons]." BLM head of marketing and external relations Chifundo Malunga said prisons, being home to the. poor and vulnerable, need urgent health services.

BLM was offering health services to prisoners in Malawi through a project funded by the UK's Department for International Devel-opment (DfID) which ran from 2002 to march 2007.

"Evaluation showed that we made a positive impact and we observed that a gap would emerge so we needed to find another donor and identified the National Aids Commission with whom we have not yet finalised discussions. That is why we are here with MPs so that they should help us get funding," said Malunga.

Committee member George Nga Mtafu said it was pleasing that the warder prisoner relationship is cordial these days, which brings room for reformation. However, he said, there is need to improve diet offered in the country's prisons and revisit the legal system so that the number of prisoners on remand should not be higher than those that have been con-victed.

Taweni Kaluwa

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