JUMLA, Jan 7: Inmates at the District Prison in Jumla have been deprived of basic health facilities within the prison as health worker has not been available here for over past three months.
Though the prison has the post for an auxiliary health worker (AHW), it has been lying vacant since the transfer of (the then) AHW Shukraraj Shahi to the Hima rural municipality three months ago, the prison administration said.
According to jailor Gaya Prasad Pandey, they are currently unable to provide basic health facilities to its dwellers on its own. If any inmates/detainees complain of any health issue, they are taken to the Karnali Academy of Health Sciences (KAHS). Common cold, joint pain, fever and headache are common health issues among the jail inhabitants. The transfer of previous health workers is yet to be replaced and the compulsion to take inmates/detainees every time when they complain of health problems to the KAHS has caused financial burden for the prison.
Besides, water and electricity supply in prison is irregular. It has just one tap for the supply of running water and dwellers have been largely hit by it. As inmate Khamba Rawat said they have to line up for hours for fetching water and sometimes the situation would end in a quarrel.
However, it has presently no overcrowding issue. The irregular power supply has increased a security threat, said chief jailor Pandey, adding that they had approached the Khalanga Small Hydropower Consumers' Committee for power supply, but committee chair Bishnu Bahadur Budhthapa said the prison's request could not be addressed as available power is just sufficient to meet the demand for its limited consumers.