August 2006

Injured Prisoners Seek Interpretation Of The Law
By Perpetual Sichikwenkwe In Mongu
THIRTY five inmates who survived a road accident which claimed four of other prisoners while they were on their way to Limulunga have complained of lack of proper medical assistance.
The inmates who allege that some have become deformed as a result of the accident, also want to know whether they are entitled to compensation since they sustained the injury while on prison tasks.
Speaking on behalf of the others, Lubasi Mayumbelo told Mongu Legal Resources Foundation (LRF) paralegal Joe Mulafulafu that when they were admitted to Lewanika General Hospital, they did not get good care and as a result, even those who had suffered minor injuries that could have been corrected ended up with deformities like protruding collar bones.
Mayumbelo said on March 24 2006, while they were on their usual prison manual work, they were traveling on a motor vehicle registration GRZ 577 BR enroute to Limulunga.
When they reached Limulunga along the road leading to the Litunga's palace, the vehicle lost control and overturned three times killing three of the inmates on the spot while the other one died later at the hospital.
All the surviving 35 inmates were admitted to Lewanika General Hospital where they alleged that they were not given proper medical care.
Mayumbelo said the inmates complained to Prison authorities about the kind of care they were receiving at the hospital but nothing was done about their plight.
He said one of their colleagues is still in hospital nursing shuttered leg bones.
Mayumbelo said since some of the inmates now have deformities they would like to know whether they were entitled to compensation.
They complained that they have been refused access to police road traffic accident reports or medical reports to enable them seek compensation for the injuries they sustained and deformities that they feel were caused due to professional negligence at the hospital.
“We, as inmates that survived in a fatal accident, would like to know what will happen to us when we come out of prison with deformities that we sustained while in prison and are remotely not related to the crimes that we committed and are not part of the punishment the law prescribed of us,” Mayumbelo said.
The 35 inmates are serving different sentences.
Mulafulafu said the matter has been referred to LRF Mongu supervising lawyer Paul Mulenga who is still studying it.