Dearth of escort cops poses problem to shift jail inmates to hospital in Rajamahendravaram

Rajamahendravaram: The prisoners in Central prison are expressing their displeasure over the government for not liberalising the norms to shift the prisoners to hospitals at the time of need.

In the last five years from 2015 to July 2019, as many as 41 prisoners died with various diseases in Central prison. In 2015-16, eight prisoners died, in 2016-17, nine prisoners died, in 2017-18, three prisoners died, in 2018-19, 14 prisoners died and in 2019, up to July 19, seven prisoners died.

The jail authorities have to write a letter to the respective police officer requesting him to provide escort to shift the prisoner to government hospital for treatment, which is taking a lot of time and as a result, the prisoners are facing a lot of problem.

Though the Central Prison capacity is 1,200 prisoners, it accommodates 1,400 . Though the government headquarters hospital is in a walkaway distance, providing escort is delayed by police department.

Meanwhile, in the headquarters hospital there is no cardiology wing since many years with this the jail authorities are forced to shift the cardiac patients to government general hospital in Kakinada for treatment which is 70 kms away from Rajamahendravaram.

In the meantime, the prisoners having cardiac problem are losing their lives and there is a need to provide cardiac wing in Government General Hospital in the city. Speaking to The Hans India on Monday, Central Prison Superintendent S Raja Rao said that they were sending the prisoners to the hospital immediately.

Many prisoners were coming to jail with advanced stage of diseases and at present, there were 24 HIV/ART patients in the jail, who were sentenced for life imprisonment and of them four prisoners were on bail, he said.

Usually sanction of bail is not possible to lifers but the jail authorities on humanitarian grounds appealed to High Court and obtained bails to T Srinivasa Rao and Suman because of the seriousness of their problem and getting treatment outside the jail, he told.

He said medical camps were conducted in jail frequently to the prisoners to identify the ailments. Establishment of cardiac wing is need of hour in the government headquarters hospital, he averred. Utmost care is being taken relating to the health of prisoners in the jail, he added.