'Drunk' doctors a threat to patients in UP jail

In a shocking revelation, a senior prison official has accused jail doctors of being drunk while treating sick inmates and said such doctors posed a grave threat to the health of the prisoners.

The revelation has come in a letter written by Lucknow jail superintendent Dadhiram Maurya to the inspector general, jail administration, according to sources.

Sources said the copies of the letter had also been sent to the chief medical officer, district magistrate and district judge. Maurya, while charging the doctors with being insensitive toward the sick prisoners, has also alleged that some of them were in inebriated state when they treated the patients.

He also said that the doctors did not adhere to the rules and often examined the patients till late in the nights rather than in day time. “It (running the outpatient department till late in the nights) could have security implications,” the letter said.

Maurya has sought the intervention of the senior officials in the matter.

Officials said  a committee had been formed to regularly monitor the health of the prisoners lodged in the Lucknow model jail.

They, however, said a probe would be launched in this regard and stern action would be taken against the doctors if they were found guilty.At least one jail inmate had died a few days back allegedly for want of treatment in the jail.

Sources said there were several prisoners in the jail who had been suffering from diseases like tuberculosis and asthma and require specialized treatment.

Such sick inmates face threat to their life if they were treated by the jail doctors in an inebriated state, they said.