JOIN USIn Central Prison, 36 inmates have HIV; many others ailing
At least 36 inmates of the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara have tested positive for HIV while many others have been suffering from other serious diseases such as tuberculosis (TB), epilepsy, renal failure and psychiatric and psychological disorders.
A comprehensive medical checkup of all the prisoners conducted recently shows that 16 of them are in advanced stages of HIV and need Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
Twenty other prisoners tested positive for HIV but do not need immediate medical care as their CD-4 counts are good and indicate robust immunity levels. As a result, they have not been segregated from others, said Roopa D Moudgil, Deputy Inspector General of Police, Prisons Department.
Confidentiality
The details of the prisoners’ illnesses have been kept confidential by jail doctors and there is no fear or panic inside the prison, she added.
Besides, at least 12 inmates suffer from TB. They are under treatment and have been moved to an isolated barrack as the disease could be contagious. Around 60 prisoners were found to be epileptic and 142 inmates suffer from psychiatric disorders. A large number of prisoners were found to be suffering from cardiovascular diseases and diabetes.
“We will maintain a health record of all these inmates at the jail,” said a senior jail official.
Previously, prisoners were given medical intervention whenever they fell sick. The comprehensive medical camp, along with an eye camp, was conducted to assess their health better.
Daily treatment
On average, 100 people come to and go out of the prison every day. The prison has a 100-bedded hospital, but there are only three doctors and as many paramedics.
The hospital currently treats 200 patients, said a source in the jail administration.
DH News Service
Undertrial to get kidney transplant
A 32-year-old undertrial suffering from renal failure was shifted from the Kalaburgi prison to the Central Prison at Parappana Agrahara four months ago as he is set to get a kidney transplant.
He undergoes dialysis thrice a week at the Institute of Nephro Urology of Victoria Hospital. He is on the waiting list of Kidney Foundation in Padmanabhanagar.
Undertrials nurse sick convicts
It has come to the notice of senior police officers that jail authorities have been using undertrials for doing daily chores of disease-stricken convicts.
Abdul Karim Telgi, who was convicted in the stamp paper scam, was wheelchair-bound until six months ago. He received advanced treatment in the prison hospital and is able to walk now. But an inspection by senior police officers found that he was taking assistance from two undertrials in their early 20s. The duo did chores such as washing vessels and clothes for him and cleaning his prison cell.
The undertrials have been removed from the convicts’ section, and convicted prisoners have been asked to help Telgi, a senior officer said. According to the jail manual, undertrials cannot be mixed with convicts, he added.