Overcrowding could be cause of skin infection in 450 jail inmates

MUMBAI: There is only one medicine for every ailment at Arthur Road jail, said a man who had been lodged at the jail. “The out patient ward (OPD) of the prison is nothing but a painkiller distribution queue,” he said about the inhuman conditions in the city’s oldest prison which lodges high profile criminals.

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Data collected during a medical camp on Saturday revealed that around 450 of the 1,500 prisoners lodged in the general barrack have skin infections. Overcrowding and poor sanitation could be causing skin disease among the inmates, said the report.

The barracks hold three times more prisoners than the capacity. “The OPD only gives a painkiller for every ailment. Those with skin diseases get a different pill,” said the former inmate, released after a four-year prison term.

Former casualty medical officer Dr Rahul Ghule said that his last checkup in March showed that 450 prisoners had skin diseases, 50 had TB and 10-15 were HIV positive. “Four doctors are approved but only two appointed. The doctor on day duty checks between 300 and 350 inmates a day. While 650 local army personnel are appointed as escort party, only 100 to 150 are available at any given point,” said Ghule.

Representatives from Love and Care Foundation who conduct health camp at the prison said the inmates are suffering from skin infections and respiratory issues. “The numbers are quite high. The records are held back by jail authorities,” said Mehta.

Rajvardhan Sinha, inspector general (prisons), said the statistics about ailments is not correct and inmates have vested interests behind hospitalisation and so not every complaint is taken seriously. “I am not saying our system is flawless but prisoners have vested interests. We will start telemedicine facility soon,” said Sinha.