Mumbai: After getting positive response from the hospitals association regarding treating prisoners inside the jail, the state charity commissioner will conduct a meeting next week with the jail authorities regarding same. Shivkumar Dige, State Charity Commissioner said once the jail authorities gives us the green signal, by end of March we will start sending the doctors from corporate hospitals for treating the inmates.
“The jail authorities will have all the power to summon any medical specialist from trust-run-hospitals which comes under Charity Commission for their treatment inside jails on OPD basis,” added Dige. B K Upadhyay, Additional General of Police said next week Charity Commissioner will hold a meeting with the jail authorities and will finalise all the requirements needed for treating prisoners inside the jails.
In Maharashtra, there are over 30,000 prisoners across 54 jails who so far are been taken to government-run hospitals for treatment. Dige said officials from hospital association have given a positive response and have asked them to make a protocol which need to follow in this initiative.
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“We held a meeting with the officials from Association of Hospitals to discuss about the protocols that need to follow for arranging health camps in jails or providing treatment to inmates. But, few more meetings are neededs,” added Dige. So, by March end, these inmates would be treated by specialist from over 400 corporate hospitals across the state with 74 such hospitals like Jaslok, Nanavati, Lilavati, Hinduja, Wockhardt.
“Corporate hospitals under charity commission are supposed to provide 25 per cent of their resources for the treatment of patients from below poverty line and other special cases. So, we have asked all the registered charity hospitals to provide treatment to prisoners on outdoor basis under the same reserved quota,” said Dige.