Covid-19 vaccination for jail inmates in the state has hit a technical hurdle as they don’t have cell phone and Aadhar card numbers mandatory for those being vaccinated.
While cell phones, on which an intended vaccination beneficiary receives notifications, are not allowed in jails, Aadhar cards are not collected when a person is jailed. The computer software being used for vaccination registration seeks these details as mandatory.
In Bihar, there are more than 55,000 prisoners lodged in different jails, of which 25,000 are aged above 45 years and hence eligible for vaccination in the current phase.
The problem was encountered when a medical team reached Shahid Khudi Ram Bose Central Jail in Muzaffarpur to administer vaccine to inmates at the initiative of jail superintendent Rajiv Kumar Singh.
There are more than 1,700 inmates at the jail, of which 800 are aged 45 years or above.
“But the team had to return as the registration of jail inmates for vaccination could not take place since the computer software fails mandates furnishing of mobile numbers and Aadhar numbers. We can’t proceed further due to these two important data requirement for the registration,” civil surgeon Dr SK Chaudhury said, adding that he has informed jail authorities of this technical issue.
The jail superintendent said he has written his superiors seeking their direction in this regard.
{{/usCountry}}The jail superintendent said he has written his superiors seeking their direction in this regard.
{{/usCountry}}Inspector general (prisons) Mithilesh Mishra said the issue was serious as Covid infected persons were also being taken to jails on judicial remand. “I have sent an SOS to the state police headquarter seeking their intervention as rules don’t permit us to allow inmates to carry their cell phones with them in the jail premises. Even their Aadhar card is not taken at the time of their entry into the prison,” he said.
Social distancing is hardly possible in jails where 40-50 inmates share a ward, which, jail officials say, could lead to a serious situation if the inmates were not vaccinated at the earliest.