02/05/2020
A pandemic birthday message to our friends!
Dear Friend of Integritas
Happy Birthday to us - today we are eight! This morning, during our daily international Zoom meeting, our core staff reflected briefly on our past, present and future. We reminisced about our early years, gave thanks to God for our current safety, and got excited about our plans.
Six weeks ago I flew to the Western Pacific for what was scheduled to be a fairly usual stint of humanitarian prison medicine. But then the pandemic took hold and life as we knew it ground to a halt. A month ago I was recalled to Britain where I'm now caring for prisoners including those with coronavirus. Whilst of course it is sad that anyone should get coronavirus, let alone die from it, my infected patients are in fact very fortunate: British petty mugger Billy Jones gets exactly the same standard of care as British prime minister Boris Johnson - and, thanks to our National Health Service, it's all for free.
Not so though for the majority of the worldās 11 million detainees. In times of calamity, it is the most restricted patients who face the greatest peril. Things are truly desperate in many of the world's places of detention. If a picture tells a thousand words then a video says even more. And so, just before I flew back, we made you a brief video.
Mam Loy (Western Pacific Operations Manager) feeding hungry detainees in police custody, as their relatives can't visit during lock-down.
We hope you find it illuminating - please do share it with your friends. If you're a person of faith, please pray for us. And if you have the means, please consider giving us a birthday present by donating to our #CoronaCash Appeal: we'll use every penny to bring more food & water, medicines & comfort to pandemic-afflicted prisoners in some of the world's most challenging places of detention.
May God bless you and please stay safe.
Rachael & Team Integritas š
All masked up for another day of urgent wound care in a remand jail.
Treating asthma in a tiny, cramped police cell.