Poarta Alba

Report on the Poarta Albă penitentiary hospital

On 4 July 2001, the representatives of APADOR-CH visited the Poarta Albă penitentiary hospital.

General overview

The hospital is within the Poarta Albă penitentiary, occupying two pavilions totalling 250 installed beds. The number of committed detainees varies between 180 and 210, that means that in principles there is no problem with overcrowding. However, on the day of the visit one of the pavilions was being repaired, thus all the patients were crammed in the other one. The works are likely to be finalised by the end of August and immediately afterwards will begin the works on the other pavilion. The works are absolutely necessary and the penitentiary, which is also overcrowded, is not able to provide for temporary accommodation for the sick detainees.

In theory, the hospital is independent to the penitentiary, with its own commander and own guard service. In practice, the unit depends on the penitentiary in respect of the following aspects:

transport of the sick detainees to hospitals outside the penitentiary system (the hospital has only one old Dacia pick-up and the General Police Directorate has already approved other two pick-ups to be delivered by the end of this year);

guarding such detainees, especially during transport and commitment to other hospitals (although the hospital’s organisation chart provides for 9 guards, only 7 are currently employed; hiring other 9 unlisted officers was approved, taking into account that each sick detainee committed to another hospital must be guarded by two unlisted officers by shift, this would not solve out this problem);

the food for the sick detainees (since the hospital does not have a food ward the food is provided by the penitentiary. The bad quality of food has caused many disputes between the penitentiary heads and the medical staff and resulted in the patient’s dissatisfaction. The hospital manager does not hope for a separate food ward yet she insists for employing a dietician who should directly supervise the food quality and preparation for the committed detainees);

bodily hygiene (since the hospital does not have a shower room the patients need to use the penitentiary’s shower room, who is a far cry from the normal sanitary standards for healthy people and the more inadequate for the sick detainees. Those with skin diseases – many of which with over-infected scabies – wash up every day in a small room in the hospital with heated water);

The medical staff is comprised of four permanent doctors (two internists, one dermatologist and one general practitioner), two psychiatrists, both residents from other hospitals, one part-time radiologist, one haematologist, the only civilian employee, one biochemist and the rest to a total of 62, nurses and support staff. Three more doctors are to be hired (a psychiatrist, an internist and laboratory doctor).

The hospital has four wards: internal diseases, dermatological and sexually transmitted diseases, chronic and psychiatric diseases. In the future the hospital would expand its psychiatric ward and become the biggest penitentiary psychiatric hospital in Romania.

For the time being, most of the sick detainees come from the Poarta Albă penitentiary, plus a few from Slobozia, Tulcea, Dej, Gherla etc.

The medical staff have around 60-80 consultations a day, also including for the detainees from the penitentiary. The hospital manager proposed the establishment of an ambulatory ward dealing exclusively with the cases from the penitentiary, which would suppose, of course, new medical staff and would significantly improve the quality of health care. For this they need an approval from the Military Health Insurance Company, since the hospital is subordinated to both the General Police Directorate and the Military Health Insurance Company.

The cases that cannot be solved out on the spot are transferred either to the military hospital or to the Constanţa County Hospital.

If the sick detainees are agitated, especially those with psychiatric diseases, they are handcuffed for a short period of time. APADOR-CH reminds that both the UN Special Reporteur against torture (who visited in 1999 a series of penitentiaries and police lockups) and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (whose representatives made two visits to Romania in 1995 and 1999) recommended the elimination of handcuffing the sick detainees. APADOR-CH repeatedly suggested that the agitated patients should be immobilised with elastic bandages instead of handcuffs.

Unlike the Jilava penitentiary hospital, where smoking is absolutely forbidden, the Poarta Albă hospital manager understood that such a ban would only increase the tension of the relationships with the detainees, increasing their dissatisfaction, which is justified to a great extent, regarding the detention conditions. The beneficial effects of the ban would be annulled by the additional stress and the dangerous improvisations to overcome the lack of tobacco (mattresses, sawdust etc.). Therefore smoking is allowed in Poarta Albă the hospital: less in the rooms and more in the yard.

The punishment of sick detainees for infringing the internal order rules follows, unfortunately, the procedure applied to the healthy detainees. The hospital does not have an isolation room, yet there are cases when such punishments are applied and carried out in section II of the penitentiary. APADOR-CH appreciated the fact that the Dej penitentiary hospital gave up to the isolation punishment for the sick detainees. In the opinion of the association, the sick detainees should not be punished in any way for possible violations of the internal order rules. In the worst case, punishments such as “warning” or “admonishment” could be acceptable, yet in no case isolation or denying the right to parcels, visits or phone calls.

The hospital does not have a public phone. The sick detainees may call only from the only phone installed in the penitentiary. It is also there where they are visited by relatives.

The hospital visit

In room 9 there were 30 detainees and 31 beds. A few days before the visit of APADOR-CH, there were 35 detainees in the room. The sick detainees receive newspapers (“Adevărul”, “Telegraf”) and go out for exercise for one hour or one hour and a half every day, while the more “fit” may even play football. All the detainees were satisfied with the health care yet they complained of the food quality. Two days before they had got rotten rice that nobody could eat, other times they had had “boiled onions” (probably leek), boiled pasta (with nothing else) or cabbage “smelling like meat”. The patients also complained that the tea is nothing but coloured water with no sugar, and “milk” means a little powder milk dissolved in a lot of water. Many detainees said that they get their food unsalted although their diseases do not require salt-free diets. The medical staff do not seem willing to accept the distribution of salt in the rooms fearing that those that are not allowed to use would do that. The unanimous opinion was that the food is “very bad”, which can be confirmed by the representatives of the association. (See the report on the visit to the Poarta Albă penitentiary). APADOR-CH thinks that until the overall food quality is improved detainees one should find a solution for the detainees who do not require salt-free diets to have salt, which would attenuate to a certain extent the food’s bad taste. The lavatory had three standing water closets and a concrete watersprout with three taps.

Detainee Ion Popescu (born in 1970) had had his left leg amputated four years ago. He has a 25 years sentence, out of which he has carried out a half. He requested twice to be transferred to Mărgineni (Ploieşti would be acceptable, too). The first request was denied and the second one is under review. APADOR-CH is aware that none of the two penitentiaries receives in principle detainees with long terms in prison. However, the association requests the General Police Directorate to consider this request for transfer with more sympathy since, according to the detainee’s statement, his only living relative is his sister, Elena Drăgulin, resident of the I.L. Caragiale commune (or nearby). The detainee would still have another 4 years until a possible parole. The association believes that his transfer to one of the above penitentiaries could be the only chance for social re-integration of that detainee.

Detainee Ionuţ Caran, sentenced to 20 years in prison, requested the General Police Directorate to be transferred to the Gherla penitentiary. His wife and minor son live in Câmpia Turzii. APADOR-CH requests the General Police Directorate officials to review this case with compassion, considering that it is very important that the detainee stays in touch with his family.

Detainee Gheorghe Pleşcan requests to be transferred to Galaţi, his family’s city of residence. His wife is also arrested and the two minor children are in the temporary care of their grandparents.

A suggestion of the patients, which is supported by APADOR-CH, refers to their separation – mainly those with psychiatric diseases and hypertension – from the rest of the detainees from the penitentiaries where they return after hospitalisation. Even if they get a stabilisation treatment, the detention conditions in the “common” facilities represent a very serious risk factor for the comeback of their diseases. The hospital doctors confirmed that many patients, stabilised at checking out from the hospital, had to be committed again after a while.

In room 1 – dermatological and sexually transmitted diseases – there were 35 detainees in 31 beds. Detainee Nicuşor Apostu declared that he self mutilated in the Poarta Albă penitentiary because “he had not been taken out for work”. He also affirmed that the special troops beat the detainees, that they do not get postcards or writing paper and that tens of detainees stay for hours in the tiny transit rooms. Room 1 had no TV set. In the lavatory, 3 out of the 5 taps were mere holes where the water kept on running. The patients are taken out for exercise every day (Saturdays and Sundays included), for one to two hours.

Laboratory equipment

The lab is relatively well equipped. However they need an absolutely vital piece of equipment – the test machine (manufactured by Nobis) – which was on the day of the visit out of order. In such conditions, the doctor had to use the microscope and centrifuge machine, causing delays in the test results. The spectrophotometer, another vital piece of equipment, is obsolete.

It is absolutely necessary that, besides a new test machine – already approved by the General Police Directorate –, the hospital should also be equipped with an oxygen mask, an UV lamp and an oscillometer, for which bids have already been opened. In addition to that, a microbiological test machine (autoclave and bacterial cultures) would be welcomed.

Conclusions:

The association requests the General Police Directorate to solve out as soon as possible the following problems:

equipping the hospital with the two already approved sanitary pick-ups;

hiring new medical staff as well as guard staff, under the newly approved organisation chart. Moreover, the approval for a dietician position is essential;

equipping the laboratory with a new test machine, which has already been approved. In addition to that, the General Police Directorate is asked to consider the possibility of purchasing the above mentioned equipment that is considered extremely useful by the doctors;

APADOR-CH supports the elimination of handcuffing of sick detainee and of punishing them for infringing the internal order rules. In the worst case, light punishments should be applied, such as “admonishment” or “warning”;

the association requests the intervention of the General Police Directorate near the Military Health Insurance Company for authorising the establishment of an ambulatory ward in the Poarta Albă hospital;

APADOR-CH requests the General Police Directorate to mention whether the Directorate’s initiative to ask periodically for a report on detainees with serious medical or social problems also refers to the penitentiary hospitals;

the association asks the General Police Directorate to consider the possibility of transferring the above mentioned detainees.

Manuela Stefănescu
Valerian Stan