The Punjab government will advertise 90 posts of female paramedics next week on contract bases for the prison department.
The advertisement will contain recruitment of 20 lady medical officers in BS-17 by the health department, whereas 27 charge-nurses in BS-16, 12 Lady Health Visitors in BS-11 and 20 Lady Dispensers in BS-6.
The government has already created 20 posts of lady doctors, lady dispensers and 27 charge-nurses recently on the request of prison department to provide medical facilities to the inmates.
As many as 12 posts of Lady Health Visitors were also created during 2006-7 for jail department and it were advertised last year but not filed owing to lack of interest of candidates. The newly recruited lady medical officers, charge-nurses, lady despisers and LHVs will be posted where female inmates are housed to provide them medical cover.
There are 32 jails in the province to keep the under trial, convicted and condemned inmates in various crimes. Out of total jails, one Women Jail Multan with 166-accommodation capacity was to keep only ladies with their kids if they are under trial or convicted by the courts.
Among others, the government allows jail department to keep women prisoners in 20 jails. In 11 jails, women inmates cannot be kept including District Jail Lahore, District jail Mandi Bhuddin, Sub Jail Chakwal, central jail Faisalabad, B.I&J Faisalabad, District Jail Vehari, Central Jial Multan, BI&J jail Bahawalpur, District Jail Multan, district Jail Muzaffargarh and district jail Rajanpur.
In these jails, no women officials were posted whereas in other 20 jails women staff is posted to handle the female captives.
The total male medical officers are 41 to provide the medical treatment to sick inmates both males, females and supervise hospitals established in various jails. One doctor was sanctioned for district jails and two for central jails to provide the medical facilities to authorized number of inmates- 21,530 in all.
It is not possible to cater to the medical needs of the inmates as chances of infection is high in jails, over-crowded 175 per cent at present. At present out of total 32 jails across the province, 16 are without ambulance, nine without doctors and 10 without X-rays machines.
There is no doctor in district jails Sheikhupura, Jhang, Jhelum, Gujrat, Chakwal, Rajanpur and out of two, one shortage in central jail Lahore and Multan. The jail administration has to take sick inmates to district headquarter hospitals in case of any emergency.