Prison Dr.Wolf in Sheep’s Coat?

People regard teaching and medical profession as holy services rendered by devoted professionals for years unheard. But a few doctors are in sheep’s coat. Now a days talk of the town is how quick those political cum other VIPs once sentenced by the Court, manage to get medical certificate and recommendation by the prison doctor to detail them to private or prison hospital. From time to time when a political figure with high profile sentenced to jail term, immediately they get the prison doctors’ certificate to the effect that sentenced prisoner is sick and need treatment in hospital. People and politicians talk about these in meetings and in parliament for public consumption and never persuade and take follow up action to stop this nonsense. Even the vociferous JVP too confined to make public statement for public consumption and stop with it. Every successive government doesn’t want to stop this practice of providing medical certificate to political murderers and rouges, who rob the public funds once sentenced. So called prison doctor without having any fear favoured sentenced VIP prisoners with medical certificate and fooling the entire justice and democratic system in the country.

Let us consider the recent event, where two top high profile figures of the previous regime were sentenced to 2 years rigorous jail term, fine and to pay Rs 50 million back to the state within a specified period or to serve additional jail term. The offence they have done was spending public funds to the tune of Rs 600 million to buy white (Sil) cloth and distributed among Buddhist clergy to increase vote bank of their powerful master then. Police investigators, attorney general’s department and judiciary worked hard to prove the charges against them beyond reasonable doubt, which led them for this jail term. Once the verdict was given announcing jail term, prison Dr.Wolf was too quick to issue medical certificate to both of them recommending admitting to the hospital within 24 hours without any basic medical examination, claimed by sources closer to prison.

In current Live Era, a prison medical certificate could be obtained at a cost of Rs 1 million, prison sources disclosed. Undisclosed non-taxable Rs 1 million is the current rate. This has become a public secret. Prison Dr.Wolf is in sheep’s coat. Now the news comes that the prison reform Minister is considering appointing a panel of doctors to examine high profile VIP prisoners after sentence to jail term and issue medical certificate to detail them to hospital. It is too little and too late Mr. Minister. As the public cry is building up, will the state take steps to get their medical condition examined by a Medical Board?

There was an interesting story circulating then, when Sumathi was in remand prison, he didn’t manage to confine himself to the tiny room allocated in prison. Hence, his siblings offered to build up six additional rooms to accommodate VIP remand or sentenced prisoners, and he found comfortable accommodation in one of the rooms built by him then. Those rooms are available even now within prison walls, people who knows in and out of prison revealed. No wonder international agencies United Nation’s Agencies point out and issue statements about shortcomings in our prisons. Just holding the prison reform portfolio won’t produce any result. Wake up and do something tangible, so that people can place trust in this good governance government.