ISTANBUL - Warning that the "e-doctor" manner imposed on prisoners in prisons will further deepen the isolation, Doctor Cegerğun Polat, one of the managers of the Istanbul Medical Chamber, emphasized that the manner is a violation of the right to health. 

 

Under the name of the Integration of Smart Technologies in Penal Institutions Project (ACEP), the "e-doctor" manner is imposed on prisoners through cabins placed in wards in prisons. Prisoners stated that the practice imposed in Sincan Women's Closed Prison is an attack on their right to treatment and that they would not accept it. Doctor Cegerğun Polat, member of the Board of Directors of the Istanbul Medical Chamber (ITO), evaluated the consequences of the practice in terms of health and prisoners. Emphasizing that the e-doctor manner is against human rights, Polat said that the manner will further deepen the isolation. Dr. Polat said: "We argue that such practices must end immediately and must not be furthered."

 

'AGAINST HUMAN AND PATIENT RIGHTS'

 

Stating that confidentiality is very important in the patient-physician relationship and that these rights of prisoners are recorded in the Istanbul Protocol, Dr. Polat said: "The prisoner who is physically taken to a hospital needs to be alone with the doctor in a protected room and be examined."

While even this right is violated in Turkey, Dr. points out that an examination held in a virtual and recorded setting, where the prisoner does not see the doctor, cannot be called an examination. Polat said: "It is an attitude that is completely against human rights, a practice that is against patient rights, and in medical terms, it actually means eliminating the opportunity for the patient to explain his/her own problems and for the physician to examine that patients and detect the physical findings themself."

 

'PATIENT PRIVACY VIOLATED'

 

Emphasizing that the patients will express themself more easily when alone with the physician and that privacy is also a dimension of understanding and solving the patient's problem for the physician, Dr. Polat continued as follows: “With this manner, the violation of patients privacy and personal space and personal rights will become much deeper and the aim is to remove this from something debatable, go through a model change and move it to another platform where we cannot witness it. That's why it contains a lot of intertwined rights violations.”

 

PREVENT THE EXPRESSION OF MAL-TREATMENT

 

Stating that there are some processes related to examining patients via video chat outside prisons and that there are ethics committee decisions regarding this, Polat continued his words as follows: “We express that these are practices that may mean violation of patient rights, especially the security of personal information. We think that it will prevent not only physical problems but also psychological problems, troubles, mistreatment, if any, and the consequences of mistreatment from being expressed to the physician. It can be summarized as an manner that completely violates rights." 

 

'UNACCEPTABLE'

 

Stating that the practice implemented in the field of internal medicine and psychiatry is unacceptable in the context of the prisoner's personal rights and human rights, Polat said: “The prisoners whose conversation is recorded will limit themself, will not explain and will not be able to solve their problem. For the physician, asking questions questioning the conditions of imprisonment and prison conditions will be avoided. You cannot understand and solve an internal problem without examining the patient face to face."

 

'MANNER DEEPENS ISOLATION'

 

Stating that this practice will further deepen the isolation, Polat said that this practice is an attempt to prevent prisoners from contacting the outside by "cutting their rights". Dr. Polat said: “We know that when a ill prisoners goes to a hospital for examination, the opportunity for their lawyers or a relatives to accompany them, to be informed of their condition and to follow them up must be legally created.”

 

CALL FOR STATE INSTITUTIONS TO TAKE RESPONSIBILITY

 

Emphasizing that such a practice is unacceptable due to the insufficient number of rings and soldiers, Dr. Polat said: “Turkey has signatures on international agreements and human rights agreements and prisoners have universal rights. We know that there are prisoners waiting for treatment for months. There are examination and treatment processes that are not concluded. There are ill prisoners who must not stay in prison. They need to be checked by doctors more frequently, they need to receive more serious treatments, so why do you keep ill prisoners in prison? If you think you deserve to do all of these to yourself, you, as a state, must fully fulfil the responsibility for those people's diseases and this process."

 

'WE WILL PREPARE A REPORT'

 

Stating that they heeded the prisoners' call for sensitivity, Polat said: "We will obtain our observations and findings and consider preparing a report on this."

Reminding the international agreements to which Turkey is a part, Dr. Polat concluded his words as follows: “We demand that these agreements be adhered to and that the physical conditions and facilities be arranged to meet the treatment needs of prisoners and ill prisoners. Our wish is to return to such practices as soon as possible, to strengthen treatment opportunities for ill prisoners and to eliminate isolation and isolation-based practices."