HC questions lack of docs in Maha prisons
The Bombay High Court on Wednesday questioned the lack of doctors in Maharashtra prisons keeping in view the rising Covid-19 cases in the jails of the state.
The bench of Chief Justice Dipankar Datta and Justice GS Kulkarni, was hearing a suo motu public interest litigation (PIL) on the rise of Covid cases inside the state’s prisons taken on the basis of reportage in the Free Press Journal and another English national daily.
The issue was raised after the bench went through an affidavit submitted by the state and found that the affidavit was silent on the issue of staffing. “What about the doctor's issue at correctional homes? We had asked you to ensure the prison manual is implemented in letter and spirit, as far as it provides for medical doctors in the jails. Your affidavit is absolutely silent on this issue,” noted Chief Justice Datta.
“In these difficult times, one third of the posts for doctors are vacant,” further noted the Chief Justice. The bench noted that Nagpur, Yerwada, Kolhapur, Amravati, Thane and Taloja jails had no doctors.
“What is the total number of inmates in Yerwada jail?” the bench asked. When state public prosecutor Deepak Thakre responded that Yerwada had 5,907 inmates, the bench questioned, “So for these many inmates there is not even a single doctor?"
"It has already been more than a year, Mr Thakare. You cannot rely on Sasoon or other civil hospitals and must have a proper facility within the prisons,” the bench said.
Chief Justice Datta then questioned, “Isn't it your duty to fill up the sanctioned posts? We aren't asking you to increase the sanctioned posts.”
For 47 prisons, the state has only 32 doctors which include only two doctors with MBBS. Of the sanctioned 175 posts for the medical branch, 112 posts were filled while 63 posts were still vacant. Maharashtra prisons are short of 2 psychologists, 2 psychiatrists, 1 Class-1 medical officer, 11 Class II & II medical officers, 13 compounders, 30 nursing orderly and four lab technicians.