A ten-minute visit from a psychologist after months of waiting; no access to antidepressants; and self-performed 'surgery' with tweezers.
A new report tabled in the Victorian parliament on Wednesday detailed these and other case studies from Aboriginal people currently serving time in the state's prisons.
A grim picture of institutional neglect in both public and private prisons is painted by the damning report, which found that "the system is currently failing to meet the needs of Aboriginal people and is not ensuring their best health outcomes."
"While healthcare is an issue for all people in prison, the available evidence shows that Aboriginal people suffer worse and more complex health outcomes than non-Aboriginal people in prison and in the community," reads the foreword by Ombudsman Deborah Glass.
While it noted that there had been a change in healthcare providers servicing public facilities during the course of the investigation, the report said it was too early to tell if the new measures were having an impact.
"However, these changes were made without meaningful input from the key Aboriginal community representatives who should have been involved," reads the report.
Prisoner performed 'surgery' after waiting months for treatment
One case study detailed the experience of a man at Ravenhall Correctional who had a painful ingrown toenail.
Despite making multiple requests over a period of weeks to see a podiatrist, he was informed that the earliest appointment would be months away.
He showed the report's investigators the result of his own attempts to deal with the ailment by using tweezers and a pencil sharpener.
"[I] made a pretty good mess there of the toe ... I said to [prison officers], ‘Can I get some Band-Aids please?'
"They went and had a look, they didn’t even have any Band-Aids there."
Another man, serving time at Melbourne Assessment Prison (MAP), was punished with isolation after his months-long attempts to see a psychologist were unsuccessful.
"So what happens is I can’t get help, I lose the plot, I get slotted [placed in a cell alone as a punishment]," he told investigators.
"I’m on 24-hour lockdown, and only been seen by a psych through a trap for 10 minutes … I’ve only seen them once."
Recommendations 'accepted in principle'
The report recommended a holistic overhaul of the Victorian custodial health services, noting that Aboriginal concepts of health go beyond the physical and include 'mental, social, emotional, cultural and spiritual wellbeing.'
It recommends working with Aboriginal Community-Controlled Organisations to design such a holistic program, embedding Aboriginal health expertise within Justice Health (responsible for delivering prisoner healthcare), and investing in an increase in Aboriginal healthcare workers in the state.
The government had agreed in principle to all the recommendations, with the caveat that their implementation would be contingent upon funding.
