Mumbai’s Taloja jail inmates to get medical help via video-conferencing

Mumbai city news: Earlier, the prisoners were taken to JJ hospital in Mumbai, which required a police escort team comprising up to five personnel and a vehicle

The inmates of Taloja central jail will now be able to consult doctors through video conferencing — a move that will save time and money spent on transporting them to hospitals. The facility is called telemedicine in which telecommunication is used to provide healthcare from a distance. The police believe telemedicine will also help them curb prison escapes.

Telemedicine was likely to resolve 90% of the cases, said a source. (File)

“We have set up a special cell for the facility. The jail doctor sends details of prisoners’ health to JJ hospital. The doctors there speak to our doctors and the inmate. Treatment is then prescribed accordingly,” said Sadanand Gaikwad, police superintendent of Taloja jail.

With the introduction of the facility, the prisoners are no longer required to be taken to hospitals in Mumbai. This not only saves the cost but also ensures that there is no untoward incident while travelling to and fro.

Earlier, the prisoners were taken to JJ hospital in Mumbai, which required a police escort team comprising up to five personnel and a vehicle. If a prisoner was an accused in a terror case or a gangster, additional personnel were required. In such cases, the number of vehicles used to transport him also increased.

“Prisoners often go to hospital to meet their relatives and associates. The information that the prisoner is being taken to the hospital somehow reaches them,” added the source.

He said with telemedicine, such instances will now stop.