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Prison inmates at Pune’s Sassoon to be monitored daily
Sassoon has decided to come up with a fresh standard operating procedure (SOP) and rule for prison inmates hospitalised for treatment
In a move to avoid unnecessary prolonged hospital stays and prevent allegations about prison inmates being hospitalised for a long duration without reason, the Sassoon General Hospital (SGH) and BJ Medical College (BJMC) authorities have decided that treating doctors should daily evaluate the health status of prison inmates.
The SGH has decided to come up with a fresh standard operating procedure (SOP) and rule for prison inmates hospitalised for treatment.
The decision comes after two incidents: Lalit Anil Patil (34) from Yerawada Central Jail, who was admitted to ward number 16 in SGH on 2 October, managed to give a slip to the authorities, and a raid by the Anti-Narcotics Cell on 30 September, in which Patil’s aide, Subhash Janaki Mandal, 29, was arrested for possessing 1.71 kg and 53 mg of mephedrone (MD) valued at ₹2.14 crore.
Inmates in Yerawada Jail, who are in need of hospitalisation and treatment are admitted to ward number 16 of Sassoon Hospital. Currently, the hospital has a committee headed by the deputy medical superintendent of SGH which looks into the admission and discharge of the prison inmates at the healthcare facility. The details like date of admission, illness, duration of hospitalisation and discharge of these inmates are decided by the committee, the officials said.
Dr Sanjiv Thakur, dean of BJMC and SGH, said, “The treating doctors will regularly evaluate the health status of the prison inmates admitted at the hospital. The duration of stay and discharge of the inmates will be decided by the treating doctors. The treating doctors are well aware of the health status of the patient and can precisely tell when the patient is fit for discharge,” he said.
Dr Thakur further informed the decision has been taken to bring clarity following the past incidents.
“The decision regarding the stay and discharge of the inmates has to be taken by the treating doctor and inform the committee and SGH superintendent. Before discharge, the SGH superintendent has to inform the dean of BJMC. The hospital has only the role of providing treatment and doesn’t discriminate if the patient is an inmate. All the prison inmates are referred to us and not selected by the SGH for treatment or hospitalization,” he said.
