Blood screening of Adiala jail inmates on the cards

District Health Authority to test over 6000 inmates for HIV, hepatitis

RAWALPINDI:

The District Health Authority (DHA) has prepared a plan to conduct blood screening of over 6,000 Adiala Jail inmates from March 13.

According to official sources, a special DHA team would set up a camp in Adiala Jail on March 13 to detect HIV, hepatitis B and C inmates, and to immunise them against various infections.

They said blood screening of inmates is being carried out in jails across Punjab, including the Adiala Prison.

The decision to hold the screening was decided during the conference of chief executive officers of district health authorities in Lahore.

Rawalpindi DHA Chief Executive Officer Dr Ishaq said that it was decided at the two sessions of the CEO’s meeting in Lahore to offer treatment options for inmates in addition to the immediate diagnosis of underlying ailments.

A team consisting of a medical technician and a dispenser led by a doctor will start the process of blood screening of more than 6,000 inmates at the said prison.

The collected samples will be sent to labs to diagnose diseases.

Hepatitis B inmates will begin receiving vaccinations immediately, while hepatitis C inmates will begin taking medical courses, they said.

The treatment process for the HIV/AIDS-positive inmates will, however, be started when they are segregated from the other inmates.

Moreover, sources said awareness programmes will be continued for healthy and disease-prone inmates, in addition to blood screening.