Work stress causing prisons staff to fall ill

Star: TAIPING: More than 2% of the 11,000 prisons staff members nationwide have developed chronic health conditions over the last 10 years because of their work.
Internal Security Ministry parliamentary secretary Datuk Abu Seman Yusop said a total of 227 suffered these conditions, with cases of high blood pressure topping the list followed by heart disease.
Abu Seman said AIDS was another health threat to prisons staff although there had been no new cases detected since two prison wardens who contracted HIV from prisoners died in 1990.
“Prisons staff who deal with prisoners with infectious diseases on a regular basis are likely to be exposed to the diseases.
“They are also working under tremendous pressure because it is not easy to handle inmates,” he said yesterday after a ceremony to mark the completion of a basic prison management course by 197 prison officers.
Due to the work pressure faced, Abu Seman said the Government should consider providing a critical allowance to deserving prisons staff.
Prisons Department director-general Datuk Mustafa Osman, who was also present, said the department was preparing a paper to justify the payment of such an allowance.
“We hope to submit the paper to the Government by the end of next month,” he said.