Doctor files complaint over poor prison healthcare
A general practitioner has filed a formal complaint with the Order of Physicians, denouncing serious deficiencies in medical care at Haren prison. Le Soir reported the news on Monday; both VRT and RTBF have reviewed the document.
Structural shortcomings in medical care
Dr. Brecht Verbrugghe compiled a 25-page dossier detailing what he describes as structural failings in the prison’s healthcare system after he spent months preparing the report, citing multiple troubling practices. These include inadequate screening and treatment for hepatitis C and tuberculosis, care being withheld due to alleged logistical burdens and repeated violations of medical confidentiality. He also noted a lack of structured responses and debriefings following serious or traumatic incidents.
According to guidelines from the Directorate-General for Penitentiary Institutions (DG EPI), prisoners are entitled to healthcare that is "equivalent" to what is provided outside prison walls. But Verbrugghe argues that “little of this is happening.”
Prisoners at risk
“The working conditions are scandalous, patients are often left to their fate and healthcare providers are powerless against an administration that focuses on punishment and control,” Verbrugghe states in the complaint. He warns that these shortcomings not only endanger individual prisoners but also exacerbate existing tensions between inmates and prison staff.
Government response and planned reform
Responding to the allegations, justice minister Annelies Verlinden (CD&V) highlighted the government's commitment to more humane detention conditions. “In order to be able to provide an even better response to the needs that exist, the prison in Haren is starting, as a pilot project, with a Clinical Observation Centre. This centre will examine whether prisoners need specific guidance,” she said.
Verlinden also pointed to longer-term reforms, including the creation of Forensic Detention Centres (FDCs) for prisoners with mental disorders who are not legally classified as internees. “In the first phase, we will focus on five hundred places in the FDCs that are yet to be established. As the plan of approach now stands, these new centres could open their doors in 2030,” she added.
©BELGA PHOTO NICOLAS MAETERLINCK
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