Health care of prisoners in the Republic of Croatia with a special reference to prisoners with mental disorders

Pojam zdravlja ima brojne definicije koje na različite načine opisuju težnju za stanjem koje je neophodno svakom čovjeku, a okosnicu svih različitih objašnjenja tvori činjenica da je ono jedno od temeljnih ljudskih prava i vrednota. Termin zatvorenik označava osobu kojoj je izrečena kazna zatvora zbog kaznenog djela i koja se nalazi na izdržavanju kazne zatvora u kaznionici, odnosno zatvoru. Zbog same prirode načina izvršavanja kazne zatvora, izdvajanja počinitelja iz njegove sredine, oni su jedna od najranjivijih skupina društva kada govorimo o povredama njihovih prava i mogućnostima njihove zaštite. Temeljno načelo pružanja zdravstvene zaštite zatvorenicima, polazi od toga da oni trebaju uživati iste standarde zaštite kao i ostatak zajednice i da im treba biti omogućen pristup svim zdravstvenim uslugama koje su dostupne u državi, bez diskriminacije. Poseban osvrt u radu odnosi se na zatvorenike s duševnim smetnjama jer, iako koračamo 21. stoljećem, zajednica još uvijek nije dovoljno upućena u problematiku osoba s duševnim smetnjama i njihovim potrebama.The term health has numerous definitions that in different ways describe the aspiration for the state that is necessary for every human being. The basis of all different explanations is the fact that health is one of the fundamental human rights and values. The term prisoner signifies a person who has been sentenced to imprisonment for a criminal offense and who is serving a prison sentence in penitentiaries or prisons. Due to the nature of the execution of the prison sentence, that is the separation of perpetrators from their surroundings, they are one of the most vulnerable groups in society when it comes to violations of their rights and possibilities to protect them. The fundamental principle of providing health care to prisoners is that they should enjoy the same standards of care as the rest of the community and that they should be given access to all health services available in the country, without discrimination. A special review of the paper refers to prisoners with mental disorders because, although we are entering the 21st century, the community is still not sufficiently aware of the problems of people with mental disorders and their needs