Birsa Munda Central Jail inmates suffering from mental illnesses have not been treated by a professional psychiatrist since March 2020, jail authorities said on Sunday, claiming that at least seven to eight prisoners suffer from mental health disorders every month at the largest prison in Jharkhand, but do not get psychiatric help from experts.
The Superintendent of Birsa Munda Central Jail, Hamid Akhter said that psychiatrists from Ranchi Institute of Neuro Psychiatry and Allied Sciences (RINPAS) used to visit the prison every week before the Covid-19 pandemic, but no doctor has come to the jail since early 2020 despite several requests made by the jail administration.
“RINPAS authorities insisted that we send prisoners to the hospital for check-up. Taking mentally-ill prisoners to RINPAS and back would be a risky affair as many prisoners turn violent when they suffer from bouts of mental health disorders,” said Akhter, adding that the Birsa Munda Central Jail has a tie-up with RINPAS for treatment of all prisoners who need mental health assistance.
The alleged suicide of a 32-year-old murder accused at the hospital cell of the Ranchi jail last week exposed the lack of medical assistance for prisoners suffering from mental health disorders. The prisoner, who purportedly killed himself, was kept in the hospital cell and being treated by doctors who did not specialize in psychiatry. “Mental health issues are common in jails. Mostly new inmates suffer from depression and other related issues,” said Akhter.
Doctors at RINPAS, however, blamed the lack of manpower at the hospital for its failure in sending psychiatrists to the Ranchi jail. Dr. Siddharth Sinha, senior consultant, neuropsychiatry at RINPAS said that only six doctors were running the show at the hospital, and sending a doctor to the jail would mount more pressure on the already overworked doctors on duty at the institute.
“If the jail authorities bring prisoners to the hospital, then they will definitely be treated and provided medicines,” said Dr. Sinha. “About 300 patients visit RINPAS for treatment every day, and there are only six doctors at the hospital to attend to them,” he added. As per figures with the jail authorities, there are over 3600 prisoners in the Birsa Munda Central Jail and around 1200 of them are convicts.
An outbreak of Covid-19 in the prison may also have deterred psychiatrists from visiting the jail inmates, sources said. The first wave of the pandemic had wreaked havoc on the Ranchi jail with the mysterious virus infecting over 1000 prisoners and several hundred staff members last year. This year, however, timely vaccination and readiness have significantly reduced the impact of the second wave in the jail premises.
