First mobile Clinic at Karangasem Prison
21 October 2015
Yesterday, on the 20th of October 2015, our team conducted education and testing at Karangasem Prison.
Bali Peduli has been working with Gianyar Prison for over a year now, providing regular HIV testing and education sessions with new inmates.
As a result of the success of this program with the Gianyar Prison, Bali Peduli was invited by Kangarasem Prison to implement a similar program with their inmates.
Yesterday’s session was our first with Karangasem Prison.
First, Bali Peduli staff conducted education around sexual health, STIs and HIV prevention. The session was interactive and gave the participants a chance to interact with the information presented and ask questions in a respectful non-threatening environment.
Second, inmates had the option to undergo testing for HIV and STIs, administered by a nurse from our Ubud Clinic (Klinik Anggrek).
Bali Peduli’s mobile clinics, such as this one, involve a mix of outreach and counselling staff as well as medical staff. This enables us to provide a full suite of services; education, counselling and testing.
According to Bali Peduli outreach worker, Eka Sampurna, Bali’s biggest and most well-known prison, Kerobokan Prison, offers its own services around HIV prevention and testing. Meanwhile Bali’s smaller prisons are unable to offer these services for its inmates which is where Bali Peduli comes in. To Eka’s knowledge, Bali Peduli is currently the only NGO offering these services in Bali’s prisons.
Yesterday 30 people attended the education session, and 21 were tested for HIV.
The session was well received by the inmates, and gave Bali Peduli a chance to build on the relationship with the staff from the prison. It is hoped that this will be the first of regular visits to this prison, helping prisoners to protect themselves against HIV risk and provide treatment and support for those already infected.