Staff Reporter :
The office of Inspector General of Prisons on Thursday submitted a report to the High Court, saying that there are a total of 112 physicians providing treatment to 86,998 prisoners at 68 prisons across the country.
According to the report, 29 posts of doctors are now vacant. The prisons can accommodate 40,664 prisoners, whereas the number was 86,998 till August 27 last year.
The government has appointed 102 doctors on deputation for the prisons after November 5 last year when there were only 10 physicians for the treatment of all the prisoners, the report said.
The office of IG prisons submitted the report through its lawyer Shafiqul Islam to the HC in line with its earlier directive during a writ petition filed by Supreme Court lawyer Md JR Khan Robin on February 18 last year, seeking necessary order on the issue.
Today, the HC bench of Justice Md Khasruzzaman and Justice Md Mahmud Hassan Talukder accepted the report and said it will hold hearing on the issue after a month, Deputy Attorney General Abdullah Al Mahmud Bashar told the media.
He said the directorate general of health services has issued a notice asking the civil surgeons across the country to assign doctors for treating prisoners in jails where the posts of doctors remain vacant.
While hearing the same petition, the HC on June 23 had asked the IG prisons to submit a report before the court, containing the number of prisoners, doctors as well as the vacant posts of physicians at jail hospitals.
