VELLORE: On April 22, 2023, a prisoner of Vellore central prison who had been arrested under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act, was brought to the government hospital in Adukkamparai following a heart issue. He managed to escape from the hospital. Even though the police were able to apprehend him soon, the incident pointed towards the unavailability of a well-protected convict ward in the hospital.
Vellore government hospital has a convict ward that is in a state of disrepair, said sources. After the Covid-19 outbreak, the ward has been converted into a medical storage facility. The central prison administration has urged the authorities to renovate the facility as the prisoners are now treated at the general ward from where they escape, posing a serious security risk.
Sources said the health centre inside the prison lacks basic medical equipment and facilities and is not even on par with a general primary health centre. As there are no separate wards for the prisoners in Adukkamparai GH, they are now being sent to Vellore Government Medical College and Hospital with at least ten prisoners receiving weekly checkups. Additionally, at least five cases requiring emergency treatment are referred on a monthly basis.
However, the GMC gets a staggering number of patients on a daily basis, with at least 2,000 individuals seeking medical attention every day. Thus, providing proper security for the prisoners is a huge task here.
Sources said when a prisoner is brought to a hospital for treatment, they require a minimum of one guard and three additional security personnel for a day. As the prisoner's recovery time increases, the number of security personnel required also increases. "A convict ward provides tight protection, making it impossible for the prisoners to escape. However, in a general ward, the level of protection is minimal," said a source.
When contacted by TNIE, the dean of Adukkamparai GH, S Papathi, stated that the process of renovating the convict ward is underway and all necessary actions will be taken.