Punjab Chief Minister, Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi has directed the concerned circles to make sure the immediate appointments of the doctors in different jails of the province, in order to provide better medical facilities to the inmates.
He passed these orders after reading the report prepared by Syed Ulfat Kazmi, President and Executive Director of Global Foundation, an NGO working for education and protection of human rights.
The report was presented to Chief Minister Punjab and he was requested to take stock of the worsening situation of hygienic conditions of jails in the province.
It was stated in the Global Foundation report that there is no doctor at present in 13 jails of the province including Central Jail Lahore, Central Jail Faisalabad, Central Jail Mianwali, Sub Jail Chakwal, District Jail Rahimyar Khan, District Jail Sheikupura, District Jail Muzaffargarh, District Jail Sahiwal, New Central jail Multan, while only one doctor is in Central jail Adiala Rawalpindi.
Ulfat Kazmi in his report stated that only one doctor is available for more than 5000 prisoners lodged in Adiala Jail.
Is it possible for a doctor to look after more than 5000 people, he asked and appealed the Chief Minister to take stock of the worsening situation and make sure the appointment of the doctors in prisons of the province.
Responding on the request of the Global Foundation chief, Pervaiz Ellahi has passed the orders of immediate appointment of 14 doctors in the jails mentioned in the report and also asked the prisons department to submit a detailed report about the jails doctors and medical facilities in different jails of the province.
Meanwhile the President Global Foundation, Syed Ulfat Kazmi has lauded the jails reforms of the Punjab Chief Minister Chaudhry Pervaiz Ellahi and said that with the prompt action on reports and keen interest in provision of facilities to prisoners by Chief Minister changes has been brought in the jail culture of the province.
"Though there is still much room for improvement of the system, but these efforts are laudable and inmates are feeling relief", he added.
Kazmi said that immediate change is needed in the behaviour of the jail officials and they should be given the realisation that people lodged in jail are also human beings and should be dealt properly in order to make them useful citizens of the society.