HC orders recruitment of 117 prison physicians
The High Court has ordered the authorities concerned to recruit physicians to 117 vacant posts at jail hospitals across the country as soon as possible.
An HC bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader passed the order on Wednesday while hearing a supplementary writ petition.
The court also asked the Director General of the Directorate General of Health Services (DGHS) to submit a progress report within a month.
On February 19, 2019, Supreme Court lawyer Md JR Khan Robin filed the petition seeking necessary order for the recruitment of physicians to the vacant posts.
UNB adds: On June 23 last year, the HC asked the Inspector General of Prisons to submit the list of vacant posts of physicians within six weeks.
It also issued a rule asking the government to explain why the ineffectiveness of the authorities concerned to ensure the standard accommodation for the prisoners should not be declared illegal.
Besides, the HC issued another rule asking the government to explain why the inability of the authorities concerned to fill the vacant posts of the physicians to ensure medical services to the prisoners should not be declared illegal.
Secretaries to law, health, social welfare, public administration ministries, director general of the DGHS, and inspector general of prisons were made respondents to the rule.
On November 5 last year, the Department of Prisons said there are nine physicians against 141 posts in 68 jails across the country while the number of inmates is 86,998 against an accommodation capacity of 40,664.
The information was revealed when deputy jailer Muminul Islam, on behalf of the Inspector General (IG) of Prisons Brigadier General AKM Mostafa Kamal Pasha, submitted a report (containing records till August 27) in this regard before the bench of Justice FRM Nazmul Ahasan and Justice KM Kamrul Kader.
The report also said the physicians for jails are recruited from the DGHS through transfer and there is no process no recruit physicians directly.
