Family Physician in Roumieh Central Prison

Roumieh prison is the largest prison with around 3,500 inmates (around 60% of total inmates). A medical centre is established in Roumieh, with nurses and general physicians available 24/7. Prisons, particularly Roumieh, suffer shortage of medical staff. This situation hinders equitable access to timely health (and mental health) care to all inmates.

The first confirmed case of COVID-19 in Lebanon was reported on 21 February 2020. The first positive cases amongst inmates in Roumieh were reported on 11 September 2020. A plan for COVID-19 preparedness and response was developed for Roumieh prison following coordination with key stakeholders intervening in the context of COVID.

Roumieh central prison hosts 6 buildings (A, B, C, D, G, and Blue House). Building G is used for quarantine of inmates before admission to the other buildings and also for isolation of inmates with positive COVID-19 status. The Blue House is the building that hosts inmates with mental disorders and those with HIV positive status. 

A team of nurses has been visiting the different buildings to conduct rapid screening on inmates suffering from chronic conditions, inmates who are above 50 years of age, and inmates who are unstable, with the aim of stabilizing their conditions. 

In the context of this project on improving health in Roumieh especially in the context of COVID-19, the plan is to conduct physical assessment of inmates, starting with the ones who have chronic conditions. This will be followed up by the implementation of pre-defined protocols of care as conducted in the primary health care setting. In addition, the work is ongoing on the development of an Electronic Health Record for prisons.

We propose to subcontract a family physician in order to conduct the following:

• Physical assessment of inmates in the different buildings in Roumieh, in coordination with the nurses working in Roumieh;
• Reflecting the physical assessment results in an Electronic Health Record for inmates; and
• Ensuring evidence-based guidelines are implemented in line with the available national guidelines and WHO guidelines.

Key responsibilities

• Inmates provided with comprehensive health assessment, under the supervision of WHO contracted family physician.
  • Deliverable 1.1: Assess/evaluate the inmates in coordination with nurses working in Roumieh.
  • Deliverable 1.2: Document data (including diagnosis) on the inmate health file (Electronic Health Record).
  • Deliverable 1.3: Coordinate patient care plan with the available health care staff and /or other staff from the referral department.