The medical team of the Niger battalion of UNOCI Force based in Tabou, 450 km south-west of Abidjan on Monday 24 June held free consultations for some 50 inmates of the local prison.



Penitentiary Officer Aliou Wade of UNOCI's Rule of Law office said the gesture was part of efforts by the UN mission to assist the Ivorian authorities in the welfare of detainees, adding that health care was part of their rights.



The Prison superintendent Mrs. Tetchi Amonchi Tanoh Melanie said the medical consultations and treatment were timely because of the high rate of water-borne diseases during this rainy season and the constant flooding of a nearby river. "We welcome the UNOCI initiative and hope it would continue for the welfare of all," she said. She said she hoped the authorities and other international partners would continue to provide logistic and health support while waiting for the completion of the new prison premises.



The legal clinic run by the Association of Women Jurists was also present at the consultations to collect information on the condition of detainees.