Malawi committed to assisting HIV-positive prisoners

Malawi Health Minister Khumbo Kachali on Thursday said that government was committed to address a number of challenges which the country’s prisoners infected and living with HIV/AIDS were facing in the prisons.

Malawi-Health-Prisoners Speaking to journalists in Lilongwe, he said there were a number of programmes, including provision of anti-retro therapy, nutritional foods and other healthcare which have been put in place for the inmates in the country\’s prisons.

"As government we will make sure that all the prisoners who have tested positive acquire treatment and nutritional foods while there," he said.

He also ruled out the possibility of releasing prisoners who are HIV positive and are critically ill, saying it would not be ideal to do so because of the nature of the offence they are answering.

"Being HIV positive is not a passport to have somebody released from prison. What if you murdered someone while HIV-positive?” he wondered.

The Minister admitted that a significant size of the prison population in Malawi was infected and living with HIV/Aids.