A Call for a global dialogue on prison health

The power of dialogue can easily be underestimated in this world of instant communications. Building on a quotation from Nelson Mandela, ‘one of our strongest weapons is dialogue’, this presentation will stress the high relevance of dialogue in tackling the health and public health problems of prison health. The responsibility for providing good access to health care of equivalent standards to that available to the community is that of the State, Yet for many years, prison health has been of little interest to prison managers as they are set up and judged by safety and security standards, and of no interest to health authorities as the service is not provided by them. The gap between prison and other health services is increasingly being seen as a waste of opportunity and even a potential public health hazard. A vital step required worldwide is for those responsible for prison services to come together with those responsible for health services and look at available options for important improvements. The dissemination of the WFPHA’s Resolution, the first by an international health organization to advocate for greater public health awareness of prison health, is therefore the right time for this meeting to issue a strong call for a global dialogue on prison health.