Achyut Regmi
Kathmandu, Oct 25 : The Prison Hospital – Nepal’s only health facility to provide treatment service to inmates – has begun dental services.
The Prison Hospital which is on the premises of Sundhara-based central jail started providing dental service since mid-September.
Though the Central Jail Jagannathdeval was established in 1971 BS, the health service was provided to inmates only since 2020 BS. It had started rendering health examination service to jailbirds from a room since 2020 BS and from a 15-bed hospital since 2068 BS.
It was expanded to 30-bed well-equipped hospital last year and also has added new services.
Dr Sachin Yadav, medical superintendant of the hospital, said the medical service was expanded keeping in mind the health of inmates. “We have scaled up services to provide all treatment services to inmates in the hospital”, he added.
The hospital has been providing out-patient department service, internal service, dermatological service, eye, psychiatric services, tuberculosis and leprosy cure services.
The hospital having 67 employees now is operational under the leadership of an official with 10th level. There are 3,208 inmates in the central jail.
Dr Yadav further said the prison hospital has set up separate wards for male and female inmates to provide treatment services in a systematic manner.
He further shared that the hospital is providing treatment services to 100 to 150 jailbirds a day.
According to the Department of Prison Management, there are 74 prisons in 72 districts across the country. These prisons are accommodating around 23,000 jail birds.