Court orders blood screening of prisoners

LAHORE: As per directives of Lahore High Court and Punjab government, officials of the departments concerned decided at a meeting presided over by Chief Secretary Major (retd) Azam Suleman Khan on Wednesday to carry out blood screening of prisoners in all jails.

The inmates’ biometric verification from NADRA, as well as treatment and rehabilitation of drug addicts will also be carried out.

The additional chief secretary, secretaries of various departments including specialised healthcare, primary and secondary healthcare and education, inspector general of prisons, additional IG operations and other officials concerned attended the meeting that reviewed steps to curb drug abuse in jails and educational institutions in the province. The chief secretary said that besides curbing narcotics, effective measures must be taken to rehabilitate the addicts.

The meeting also reviewed a proposal to establish a drug rehabilitation centre at Kala Shah Kaku at a cost of Rs250 million. The chief secretary ordered the health secretary to ensure the provision of kits for blood screening of prisoners in coordination with the prisons department. The meeting reviewed progress on health profiling of students in all government and private schools, colleges and universities.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 23^rd, 2020.