I. Disease prevention

1. All inmates and new inmates receive health examinations. If they are found or suspected to be severely ill, have psychological disease or legal infectious disease, related examinations are immediately arranged and inmates are referred to a physician. The physician is asked to evaluate the inmate’s condition to maintain the inmate’s physical health, and then to follow the Department of Health’s Biological Disaster Prevention and Response Plan to prevent an epidemic from occurring.
2. Collaboration with hospitals (China Medical University Hospital): The contracted hospital sends technicians to conduct chest X-ray exams on new inmates each day, and to periodically follow-up to prevent pulmonary tuberculosis from spreading. Each year Taichung Prison works with the third center of the Centers for Disease Control and Taichung City Government Health Bureau in conducting chest X-rays for all inmates, eliminating any possibility of group infection.
3. Taichung Prison cooperates with Taichung City Government Health Bureau in conducting blood tests on new inmates each day for legal infectious disease (HIV, syphilis). A complete exam is conducted each year on all inmates, and lectures are given to help inmates build correct health concepts.
4. Necessary blood and urine tests are conducted on new inmates, referred inmates and transferred inmates. Surprise blood tests are irregularly conducted on drug crime inmates, effectively deterring inmates from smuggling drugs or reusing drugs.
5. The entire prison is cleaned and disinfected on a weekly basis to eliminate any disease sources. The prison emphasizes the freshness and hygiene of food with the goal to ensure the physical and psychological health of all inmates.

II. Disease treatment

1. Taichung Prison established the Central Taiwan Medical Treatment Special Quarter in accordance with the Ministry of Justice’s Letter No.0920053106 on February 17th, 2004, referred from the Executive Yuan’s Yuan-Tai-Fa-Zi Letter No.0920062313 on December 11th, 2003. The Medical Treatment Special Quarter’s current service scope includes outpatient clinic, severe case hospitalization service area (Pei-de Hospital), psychological disease treatment area, pulmonary tuberculosis isolation area, hemodialysis center, and male severe case treatment area.
2. Outpatient Clinic: Operated by the contracted hospitals as a joint clinic center to provide medical and surgical outpatient services for inmates of Taichung Prison and nearby prisons.
3. Severe Case Hospitalization Service Area: Pei-de Hospital has 68 acute beds, 6 emergency observation beds and 2 ether beds to accommodate patients with acute or severe disease for intensive care.
4. Psychological Disease Treatment Area: Provides medical care according to the psychological disease to improve inmates’ mental health.
5. Pulmonary Tuberculosis Isolation Area: Has a capacity of 80 patients and negative pressure isolation ward. Standard medication procedures are to put the pills in the patient’s hands, watch the patient put pills in his mouth, and check if the patient swallowed pills or not, so as to ensure the disease is treated.
6. Hemodialysis Center: Has a capacity of 80 patients and 20 hemodialysis beds for uremia patients receiving hemodialysis therapy, so as to maintain the stability of physical condition.
7. Male Severe Case Treatment Area: Has capacity of 94 patients. These temporary wards are for accommodating male inmates with severe or chronic disease that need better care, but does not need hospitalization.