ranchi

Updated: Jun 19, 2019 07:46 IST

As many as 11 inmates of Ghaghidih Central Jail in Jamshedpur have been found to be HIV positive, according to ART (anti-retroviral therapy) Center in Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Medical College Hospital (MGMMCH). Of the 11, three inmates have been released from the jail recently, officials said on Tuesday.

The report was prepared after conducting tests on 2,000 prisoners by ART from April to June this year.

Ghaighidih Central Jail superintendent Satyendra Chowdhary said, “We keep sending inmates to the ART Center. If anyone is diagnosed with HIV positive, the person is brought under treatment,” Chowdhary said.

The matter came to fore when Saathi, an NGO, held an awareness and health screening meeting in the jail recently.

Chowdhary said regular screening and counselling have been organised in the prison to ensure inmates get proper medical care. “Teams from Sadar hospital visit regularly. They describe dos and donts . They also ensure that the affected inmates are not physically and mentally harassed in any way,” said Chowdhary.

According to the sources, about 2,000 inmates were examined during three months, of which reports of 1,300 inmates have come.