Pretoria - Proceedings in the Oscar Pistorius trial have been adjourned while prosecutor Gerrie Nel consults with a witness.
Nel told Judge Thokozile Masipa that he would be prepared to argue his case on Friday, and defence counsel Barry Roux indicated he was ready to argue his case immediately.
Earlier, acting national correctional services commissioner Zac Modise said the hospital section in which Pistorius might be imprisoned has five communal wards, each with a shower and bath, along with trained nursing staff and an on duty doctor. There are 22 single cells in the section.
This was information he had obtained during the morning tea break.
Roux asked about the number of inmates, and it was revealed there are approximately 7000 people in the prison at any given time. Roux argued that five psychologists and a single doctor for this many inmates was not enough.
Modise said not all offenders required psychological services, but if any offender needed a psychologist, they can approach the unit manager to have one assigned.
Modise also revealed there was a mix of awaiting-trial prisoners and regular inmates in the hospital unit of Pretoria's Kgosi Mampuru Prison. He did say however, that there were only seven in the single cell accommodation facilities currently.
However, he could not answer how many patients were in the section, but said that the department had advanced diagnosis and treatment equipment that helped prevent infection between inmates.
Modise told the court that if Pistorius was brought to the prison, his health would be analysed to determine his placement. Roux jumped on to this point, saying Modise had previously claimed that the normal section was unsuitable for disabled prisoners.
Modise said that within six hours he would know where he would be placed, and because of the athlete's disability he would be placed into the hospital section.
Roux brought up an incident where a paraplegic had to approach the court to be placed in the hospital section, prompting Modise to assure the court that Pistorius would be placed there.
He also insisted that Pistorius would not be “hospitalised”, just simply placed in the hospital section.
In his re-examination, Nel argued that in every organisation in the country, there are people who don't “follow the rules”, but many more dedicated workers existed to do their jobs correctly.
He asked Modise if Pistorius chose not to bring in a private practitioner who might have to wait some time before having access to the athlete, whether prison health services would be a faster alternative to treatment. Modise confirmed this.
He also reiterated that should Pistorius have any issues in prison, he could approach the high court with his concerns.
The Star