Central Jail
Government of NCT of Delhi

Experienced Medical and Para Medical Staff drawn from Delhi Government Health Services professionally manage the Medical Care in Delhi Prisons. 92 Doctors and 133 Para Medical Staff are deputed for round the clock health care of Prisoners. Every effort is made to maintain low mortality rate amongst Prisoners. The best possible medical facilities are provided to the prisoners inside the Prison by referring them to Specialty or Super Specialty Hospitals. Most of the Prisoners are from the lower strata of the society where various types of diseases are prevalent.

The following are the basic features of medical facilities being provided to the prisoners:-

• There are total 92 Doctors (28 GDMOs, 10 Specialist, 54 Senior Resident/ Junior Residents). 71 Nursing & Para Medical Staff deputed for Prison Health Care.
• Prisoners are referred to various specialty& Super Specialty hospitals for providing care as per standing orders. Nodal Officers are designated in 14 Hospitals of GNCTD and Safdarjung Hospital where the prison inmate in need are referred. Also, specialists’ Doctors in 5 Specialties are visiting Central Jail Tihar to provide the services. This has minimized outside referral.
• Committee to examine terminally ill patients has been running efficiently providing for specific medical attention to the needy patients.
• One 120 bedded Hospital with medicine, surgery, TB and Psychiatry Wards and 120 bedded De-Addiction Center (ISO Certification) are running efficiently. Other De-addiction programmes like Alcoholic Anonymous are also being run under close supervision of Senior Specialist.
• Mental Health Department is functioning for streamlining and effective delivery of mental health services. Behavioral therapy ward is upgraded to 40 bedded.
• Psychiatric Emergency Services in CJ Hospital are available round the clock. Causality has been upgraded exclusively for Psychiatry patients and addicted patients and addicted patients on withdrawal symptoms, while 06 bedded new causality for non-psychiatric patients has been made.
• Oral Substitution Therapy (OST) started in CJH. IT helps in preventing spread of HIV amongst drug abusers particularly injection drug users. OST in Delhi Prisons will help the long term drug addicts to effectively cope with their habit of addiction so that they can live a normal life in the society and once they are able to leave their habit of drug addiction, it will help in prevention of crime as well.
• Isolation ward for TB patients and other infective patients in CJH has been currently functioning.
• Physiotherapy: Physiotherapy services started in CJ-1 to CJ-10 with posting of two physiotherapists from H & FW Department. SRPM (NGO) is providing physiotherapy services in CJ-04.
• DOTS therapy is being provided at all dispensaries of Central Jail as per RNTCP.
• Round the clock emergency services are available in all Jails.
• A minor OT is also being operated in Central Jail Hospital for minor surgical procedures.
• Fully Automatic Equipped Laboratories are functioning at Central Jail Hospital for Investigation facilities in the fields of Biochemistry, Pathology etc.
• X-Ray and ECG Facility is available in Central Jail Hospital & Dispensaries of all Jails.
• Pulse Polio Immunization Programme are being carried regularly as per pulse polio schedule of Delhi Government in Central Jail No-06
• Disposal of bio medical waste is done as per rule of Delhi Pollution Control Committee.
• Special Medical Diet for the HIV/ AIDS, tuberculosis and other deserving inmates is being provided as per the standing orders.
• Human Resources: Overall strength of Medical & Paramedical Staff has improved with recruitment of residents and engagement of retired employees as consultant.
• There are dental units for prisoners, i.e. Central Jail Hospital, CJ-04, CJ-06 and CJ-10.
• Ayush Centre (Ayurvedic and Unani Centre) commissioned at CJ-8/9 Dispensary.

Medical Attendance Of Prisoners in OPD and Hospitals

Drug De-addiction Center drug De-addiction Center

Delhi Prisons have taken a major initiative in the field of management of drug abusers/ addicts by setting up a 120 bedded De-addiction Center (DAC) in the year 2007 and it is also ISO Certified. De-addiction activities in Central Jail Hospital are being taken care of by the specialist Doctors. All inmates, who are reported to be drugged addicts, are identified on the very first day of their admission and directly sent to DAC where they are initially treated for withdrawal symptoms and after de-toxification process is over, they are sent to specially earmarked Rehabilitation Wards for further counseling and rehabilitation. All drug abusers are screened by a dedicated team of doctors, utilizing a proforma, designed in collaboration with De-addiction centers of AIIMS under Drugs Abuse Monitoring System. Apart from de-toxification which is done in DAC under medical supervision, rehabilitation and prevention of re-addiction is an important component where NGO’s are playing a very vital role in Tihar Jail. Four NGOs namely, “Aasra”, “India Vision Foundation”, “AIDS Awareness Group” and “Divyajyoti” are working for rehabilitation of drugs addicts.

The prison Administration has compiled a list of drug addicts who are presently lodged in Tihar Jail and on perusal of data available, it is noticed that most of these drug addicts are repeaters and are arrested for IPC Crimes primarily for committing petty offences, such as theft, burglaries, robberies and snatching etc. Most of these are either vagabonds or jhuggi dwellers. Undoubtedly almost 95% of them belong to lower strata of society and some of them are working as labourers/rickshaw pullers/truck drivers etc. Most of them spent all their earnings for procuring drugs and those who are not working, commit crimes to fulfill their requirements of drugs addiction. A large number of these drug addicts are addicted to drugs for more than 10 years.

Anti Retroviral Therapy (ART) Center

This is also being run with the assistance of NACO/DSACS. Screening of all inmates for HIV started in all Jails CJ-1 to CJ-10. Once found positive, inmates are sent to newly started center at Central Jail Tihar for confirmation and retro viral therapy. Referral to outside hospital for ART Treatment from Tihar Complex has completely stopped. A total of 7500 Prisoners have been screened and 174 cases were found positive. 148 patients are taking regular treatment from ART Center.

As can be seen, incidents of HIV was found to be extremely high amongst injecting drug users and most these injecting drug users, who were not aware of their HIV Status, are likely to further spread HIV to their other injecting drug user partners or their spouses after release from prison. To curtail the spread of HIV OST programme was initiated in July 2018, these also reduce drug seeking behavioral and incident of Misdemeanor. NDTB center (New Delhi Tuberculosis Centre) is a framework for TB care in Prisons. Active surveillance of the tuberculosis patients is being done in close assistance of the NDTB Center. This project was started for identification of asymptotic T.B patients by CBNAT. 2499 inmates were screened at CJ-03 and 11 patients were found positive for tuberculosis. Psychological First Aid Services is being run successfully with the help of counselors of MHFI. About 7000 inmates have been rescued for presence of mental disorders.