Venezuelan Prison Observatory asks authorities to guarantee inmates access to mammograms

He Venezuelan Prisons Observatory (OVP) asked this Saturday, regarding the World Day to Fight Breast Cancerthat the State guarantee inmates’ access to a periodic mammogram, since – they denounce – hundreds of women deprived of liberty have never received specialized medical evaluation within detention centers.

«We call on the Ministry for the Penitentiary Service to carry out a comprehensive evaluation of the more than 2,500 women who are in the prison. INOF -the main women’s prison-, police cells and other penitentiaries»the non-governmental organization said in a press release.

The NGO explained that imprisoned women around the world “face serious barriers to accessing essential health services, such as mammograms,” a situation that in Venezuela – where they estimate a total of 2,543 inmates – is evident in the difficulty in accessing to these studies.

According to the organization’s 2023 records, only in a women’s prison “a gynecological day was held”which left the population of INOF and 15 other female annexes, spaces set up near male prisons, without this type of care.

Inmates and former prisoners consulted by the OVP “expressed that, during their time in prison, they never received a specialized medical examination.”

For this reason, the observatory asks the State to guarantee care for inmates by a team of specialist doctors, including gynecologists, oncologists and internists, and to enable “fully equipped” medical offices, guaranteeing adequate care.

“We recommend that, as an initial measure, a massive day of mammograms be organized to ensure that no inmate is left without being evaluated, thus allowing the early detection of possible cases of breast cancer and contributing to the fight against this disease,” the letter concludes. .