Essay on The problems faced by Prisoners in India !
The state of health of prisoners is also an important issue which needs attention of the prison authorities. The term “state of health” includes the description regarding past and present suffering of the disease of the new entrants and its duration and treatment taken etc.
Sections 37, 39-A, 39-B and 39-C of the Prisons Act deal with sick prisoners and require that prisoners at the time of their entry in prison be asked about their health, particularly relating to tuberculosis and AIDS etc. and the treatment which they have undergone for the disease, so that such prisoners apart from being given special treatment may be segregated from rest of the inmates. It is the duty of the State to ensure that such type of serious diseases are cured and not allowed to spread, not only to other prisoners but also the other persons living outside the prison.
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In order to tackle the problem of prisoners suffering from serious diseases, volunteers may be trained in prison for nursing so that they effectively help the suffering inmates and develop among them a system of self-help for protection against diseases like T.B. or AIDS etc.
The High Court of Madhya Pradesh, in Anil Kumar v. State of M.P., (decided on November 30, 1999), enumerated the factors which account for increase in the number of prisoners exposed to infection of tuberculosis in prisons. They are as follows:—
1. Delay in diagnosis, neglect of prisoner’s health problems, insufficient health services in prison and inadequate sputum smear microscopy facilities;
2. Failure of medical services to refer T.B. suspects for diagnosis or to initiate timely treatment;
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3. Transfer of prisoners with infectious tuberculosis between and inside prisons;
4. Overcrowding and prolonged confinement inside cells;
5. Failure to segregate infectious cases from other prisoners;
6. Sub-standard treatment resulting in failure to cure patients and prolonged infectiousness;
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7. Poor ventilation and poor nutrition may also lead to cause of disease.
The Court issued directions to the State Government to initiate adequate steps to control spread of diseases in prisons.