Home Minister P Sabitha Indira Reddy said that the government was taking all possible measures to provide quality health service and nutritious food to the prisoners in the State.
In her reply to a question raised by MLA R Surya Prakasa Rao during Question Hour in the State Legislative Assembly on Friday, the Home Minister said that all Central Prisons are equipped with 30-bedded hospitals with one Deputy Civil Surgeon and two Civil Assistant Surgeons available. Pathological laboratories are provided in all Central Prisons. Whereas, in the case of Cherlapally Central Prison, the government has also sanctioned one Radiologist, one Dentist and one Psychiatrist as it is considered as referral prison hospital in entire Andhra Pradesh Prisons.
Open Air Jails, Women Prisons and District Jails function with one Civil Assistant Surgeon and supporting para-medical staff. Full time doctors are also available in the District Jails. All seriously sick prisoners are referred to outside hospitals including referral hospitals and provided treatment at government cost. All the medicines prescribed by the doctors are supplied to prisoners irrespective of the cost. In respect of Sub-Jails, the Medical Officers of concerned Primary Health Centres are attending to the sick prisoners twice a week, the Home Minister said.
Sabitha Indira Reddy also informed that the government has permitted the Director General of Prisons and Correctional Services for sanction of amounts of Rs 75,000 for all diseases and Rs 1 lakh for kidney transplantation, bypass surgery, cancer and neuro surgery. In respect of Sub-Jails, the government has issued orders for payment of consolidated amount of Rs 5,000 per mensem to each of the visiting medical officers for visiting a Sub-Jail twice a week, subject to minimum of eight visits a month or as often as needed.
The minister said that the National Human Rights Commissions guidelines were being followed properly which mandates minimum of eight visits of medical officers, apart from the emergency calls; maintenance of medical sheets, referring to Government Hospitals for specialists opinion for further diagnosis or treatment; screening of all prisoners at least once in a month; special care for HIV, TB and cancer patients and sending regular reports for special care in Government Hospitals for convict patients.
The present diet scale in Andhra Pradesh Jails is fixed basing on the recommendations of National Institute of Nutrition, which has suggested that the nutrition value of the food for each labouring category prisoner should not be less than 2,790 calories per day and 2,590 calories per day for non-labouring category prisoners. In addition, every prisoner suffering from ill-health is being provided supplementary diet like milk, mutton, egg and banana on the advice of the doctors, the Home Minister said. (INN)