Concern intensifies in the El Pedregal prison in Medellín, where the precarious health and service conditions have taken on a new life.
Elber, a 56-year-old inmate from Yard 8, recently died in a case that human rights advocates are demanding be investigated as possible medical negligence.
According to Jorge Carmona, defender of this population, versions from the inmates indicate that Elber had expressed discomfort on at least three occasions due to a chronic illness. However, his request for attention would not have been attended to in a timely manner in the health area, and the man was re-entered his yard without receiving an effective solution. As a result of this condition, he suffered a heart attack.
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The director of INPEC, Lieutenant Colonel Daniel Gutiérrez, admitted that flaws persist in the food and health services inside the prison.
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Gutiérrez revealed that this week there was a change of operator in medical terms, which they hope will help to correct the deficiencies, although he highlighted that the responsibility for these services falls on the Penitentiary Services Unit (Uspec).
The case of El Pedregal is not isolated. The crisis spreads through Antioquia, where prison overcrowding exceeds 50%. The 17 detention centers house 12,418 people, although their capacity is only 8,191.
The panorama is even more complex in prisons like El Pesebre in Puerto Triunfo, where 16 inmates have died in the last two years from bacteria, tuberculosis and malnutrition.
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