Mini-operation theatre planned in Tihar to curb hospital trips outside

New Delhi: To curb the movement of prisoners to various hospitals for treatment of illnesses, the Delhi prisons authority is planning to start a mini-operation theatre (OT) within the Tihar complex. Data shows last year more than 17,000 inmates were taken to various hospitals for treatment.

The prisons department has proposed OT for minor procedures. “The OT will help reduce outside referrals. Inmates are often referred to outside hospitals for skin sutures, wound debridement, pus drainage, biopsy sampling, application of cast or slab, superficial foreign body removal, cyst removal, etc,” said an officer.

The OT would be set up in the central jail hospital at Tihar jail number 3. “PWD is carrying out some civil works,” the officer added.

Sandeep Goel, director general (Tihar), said, “Initially, minor surgical procedures will be done. Later, when the OT is fully functional, major surgeries will also be conducted. We can expect 5-6 surgeries to be conducted in a day. Visiting surgeons will come from two hospitals.”

“On average, 40 inmates are referred to outside hospitals daily for treatment, including surgeries. After the OT is started, the movement of inmates will be curbed. We have also increased visits of specialist doctors to prisons. Surgeons, orthopaedic doctors and eye specialists are coming twice a week. An ENT specialist is visiting once a week,” added Goel.

The move is also expected to save resources used to transport inmates to hospitals and curb smuggling of surgical blades. “We found that when inmates were taken for treatment, they would steal blades. There have been several clashes inside prisons in which inmates attacked each other with sharp objects. There is a possibility of such injuries being treated in the OT,” the officer said.

Another officer said there were two hospitals in three complexes, one in Tihar and another in Mandoli jail number 13. Apart from this, all 16 jails have dispensaries, which would be upgraded soon. There are 107 doctors and 191 nursing staff working in the dispensaries and hospitals of the three prison complexes. “We have specialist doctors in the fields of pathology, psychiatry and medicine,” added the officer.

Data showed 26,225 inmates got OPD treatment in 2022 and 40,416 in 2021. In all, 3,485 inmates got IPD treatment in 2022 and 6,108 in 2021.