RIGHTS OF PRISONERS IN INDIA WITH RESPECT TO HEALTHCARE

Abstract

It often happens that people believe that “Prisoners are sent to prison as a punishment and not for punishment”. Its hence clearly implied that loss of an individual’s right to liberty is enforced by containment in a environment that’s closed . In other words ,keeping an individual should not have a deleterious effect on him when in the custody of the state . Now clearly talking about the life of prisoners , the health care services they are provided with which play the most important role in the life of a citizen is something that needs to be studied and discussed on a large spectrum . Prisoners like every other citizen have a right to health care , and more significantly have the right conferred upon them by the state not to contract any diseases in during their imprisoment . Prison jurisprudence recognizes that inmates should not surrender all their rights due to incarceration. Yet in custodial institutions, there is a lack of freedoms that continues to occur. Public health programs are designed to provide all members of society with the best possible living environments so that everyone can be safe. In this equation the inmates are frequently forgotten. In India, the issue of hygiene has been compounded by overcrowding. In many jails, conditions are dreadful. Prisoners in India are not also screened for particular infectious diseases, even though all prisoners undergo a medical review before they begin completing their sentence. There have been no regional reports of the prevalence of viral infections among prisoners. Indian prisoner manuals provide for the segregation of inmates suspected of infectious diseases. A few prisons have developed informal connections for rehabilitation of prisoners with other groups to avoid the spread of diseases. Within the justice system, the health care priorities are transparent and almost similar to those of the society. The focus is on reliable and appropriate access to care and mental health services. Confidentiality of medical records, the requirement for informed consent, the patient's right to withhold care and the physician's duty to give advice should and will not alter whether a patient is a normal citizen or the one under detention.. The present research paper aims at digging deeper into the healthcare services better termed as facilities provided to prisoners . The present paper is expected to throw light on the spectrum of whether state is providing for their medical needs in the prison duirng their stay and also discusses the various reforms in case required in the same subject if necessary .