To put an end to sham check-ups and escapes, nine state jails will be connected to six hospitals
Arun Gawli, who allegedly met Arjun Rampal without permission in 2014 at JJ Hospital
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In an attempt to clip the wings of notorious jailbirds, Mumbai's Arthur Road Jail has launched a tele-medicine facility within its premises to reduce the risk of prison breaks. The much-awaited move will prevent incidents of prisoners escaping while being ferried to hospital or meeting visitors illegally.
Harshad Ahirrao, Arthur Road Jail superintendent said, "The tele-medicine facility was started around a fortnight ago. Inmates can now interact with specialist doctors at JJ Hospital through video conferencing, whenever they need medical treatment."
Also read - Sick Joke! Arthur Road Jail puts an end to prisoners' sham hospital visits
The tele-medicine facility at Arthur Road Jail uses the same video conferencing set-up used for deposing of accused during court proceedings. FILE PIC
He added, "The facility uses the same set-up, which is used by the prison for deposing of accused during court proceedings." The tele-medicine facility will also be launched at Taloja and Thane jails. The prison department plans to link all nine central prisons and 38 district prisons across the state with six state hospitals through the facility. The project was delayed for nearly two years and was implemented by additional DG (prisons) BK Upadhyay.
On an average, three to four prisoners demand out patient department (OPD) visits daily. Earlier, if an inmate complained of a serious health issue to the resident junior doctor working at the jail, the doctor recommended a consultation with the senior doctors directly at JJ.
"The process was time consuming and expensive because we had to arrange for police escorts to ferry them to hospital," a jail official said.
Based on the symptoms shown by the patient, the senior doctor will offer instructions and a prescription to the junior doctor, said an official at Arthur Road Jail.
Earlier, notorious prisoners would use 'hospital visits' as a ruse to escape prison or meet relatives and gang members. There had been cases where prisoners have also escaped from the hospital premises. "The move will reduce the burden of the police department," Ahirrao said.
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