SHC orders establishment of ‘jail wards’ in hospitals

Hospital authorities have cited inadequate security for turning away prisoners.

KARACHI:

A prison is designed to be a place for social reform. It is meant to rehabilitate the communal and civil behavioural characteristics of the inmates in order to smoothen their transition back into the society.   

Pakistani prisons have, thus far, not been able to grasp this concept of their purpose as rehabilitation centres - with the inmates denied even basic facilities, such as hygienic food and healthcare in most cases.

The Sindh High Court, taking notice of the precarious conditions, has directed the Sindh government to establish separate wards for the treatment of inmates in the two of the city’s key public health facilities, Civil hospital and Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC). For this purpose, the authorities have been granted two weeks time to file their comments regarding the establishment of ‘jail wards’ in public hospitals.



The proceedings were initiated when an under-trial prisoner, Papoo, detained at Karachi’s central jail, complained to an SHC judge during inspection about the lack of healthcare facilities for prisoners. Papoo alleged that he had been moved from Hyderabad prison to Karachi for treatment but was sent back from the JPMC without any medical care.

According to the prison’s chief medical officer, the suspect had been referred to JPMC thrice and once to Civil hospital, but was sent back with the advice that he could be treated in prison. JPMC’s executive director and other officials had previously informed judges that such advice was given because of justifiable security concerns, as security was always inadequate for inmates admitted at the JPMC.

The bench, hearing the case, had directed the health and prison department authorities to construct ‘jail wards’ in Civil hospital and JPMC, with adequate security provisions. On Friday, the additional advocate general, Rafiq Rajvari, requested the court for time to submit the report.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 2^nd, 2013.