Hyderabad, May 02: A doctor is made available to a prisoner lodged in a sub-jail once every 15 days. In case the prisoner is sick and wants medical attention, he has no option but to wait for 15 days.
The condition of prisoners lodged across all 141 sub-jails in the state is turning from bad to worse and the growing death rate of prisoners proves it. According to sources, there are many sub-jails where the access for a doctor inside the prison premises is not available. If the condition of a prisoner turns serious, the officials shift him to the local primary health centre or nursing home.
Human Rights Forum secretary K Murali told Express that in Andhra Pradesh every year 120 to 130 prisoners died. “But the deaths recorded in Karnataka and Maharashtra are fewer. The difference is only because of the poor medical facilities provided to the prisoners,’’ Murali, who did an extensive study about the facilities provided to prisoners, said.
According to him, most of the doctors do not show interest in providing services in jails as they are given just Rs 750 per month. “As a result, most of the doctors do not discharge their duties properly,’’ Murali said.
In emergency cases, officials of prisons generally fail to provide timely escort to the patient. “Of the total prison deaths every year, at least five persons who suffer heart attack die because of non-availability of timely treatment,’’ HRF member said. Jaundice is the most common disease among the prisoners.
But in most of the sub-jails such patients are not given proper diet as suggested by the doctors and made to eat the meal course served to other prisoners in the jail.
But prison officials said that providing a full-time doctor in a sub-jail was impractical because the number of prisoners was just around 20.
“The death rate in our state prisons is 0.07 per cent per lakh persons every year. But among general public it is seven deaths for every one lakh persons, ’’ additional IG (prisons) P Narasimha Reddy said.
–Agencies