One inmate in Cipinang infected by HIV

One inmate in Cipinang infected by HIV

Damar Harsanto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

The warden of Cipinang Penitentiary in East Jakarta denied a
report by the City Health Agency that HIV/AIDS was a major
problem in Jakarta's penitentiaries, saying there was only one
reported case of an HIV-positive inmate at Cipinang.

"There is only one HIV-positive inmate here. The doctor
informed us that he (the inmate) is also a drug user. We have
isolated him to prevent the infection from spreading," said
Ngusman.

The problem of HIV/AIDS in Jakarta's penitentiaries came into
the public spotlight when the head of the health agency reported
that HIV was widespread in the city's penitentiaries.

Jakarta has three penitentiaries, in Cipinang; Salemba,
Central Jakarta; and Pondok Bambu, East Jakarta.

According to health officials, 22 percent of 200 inmates at
Salemba who were tested for HIV/AIDS last year tested positive.
These results were immediately rejected by Salemba warden Bambang
Kusbanu.

Activist Baby Jim Aditya told the wardens of the three
penitentiaries not to close their eyes to the problem.

"Rather than play down the reports, it would be better if the
prisons were honest about the problem and attempt to find a
solution to it," Baby said.

"Covering up the problem is like planting a time bomb that
will explode in the next five or six years," she added.

Commenting on the isolation of the HIV-positive inmate in
Cipinang, Baby said it was "discriminatory and disregarded the
human dignity of the patient".

It is public knowledge that a penitentiary provides the type
of environment that allows all types of diseases and viruses to
spread, she said.

"The situation is ripe for an endemic, i.e. a sexually
homogeneous group who remain in a constrained area for a long
period of time."

Salemba has a total of 2,106 inmates and detainees, while
Cipinang has over 2,400.

Baby, who has provided informal AIDS counseling for inmates,
said unsafe sex between prisoners, tattooing and drug abuse were
common causes for the spread of the virus in prisons.

"There are very few reports of infected prisoners or prisoners
who have died of AIDS-related diseases because many prisoners
have no access to health service, so these cases are never
recorded," she said.

The Ministry of Health estimates that between 80,000 and
120,000 Indonesians, out of a population of about 210 million,
are HIV-positive, Baby said, though she believes this number is
much higher.

The head of the City Health Agency, Chalik Masulili, said
authorities had been aware for some time of HIV/AIDS in Jakarta's
penitentiaries, thanks to an annual survey of prisoners.

However, he declined to reveal any data on the problem, saying
the surveys were anonymous and classified. "No data can be made
public."

"The survey results will serve as a reference point in the
drafting of guidelines for our health office's programs," he
said.

He added that his office provided counseling for HIV-positive
inmates, but he did not go into details.