'Medical facilities in correctional homes need to improve'

West Bengal minister for correctional administration H A Safwi today said that medical facilities prevailing in the various correctional homes in the state were not up to the mark and needed improvement.
Replying to the debate on the demand for budgetary grants of his department in the house, Safwi said that except for the central correctional homes, the medical facilities available at other centres were being upgraded after talks with the health department officials.
He said while there were no resident doctors in correctional homes at present, steps were being taken so that these centres were visited by physicians twice a week.

The minister said that his department was also trying to create a pool of doctors who will only serve the correctional homes.
He also said that for undertrials and convicts who have psychiatric problems, he said efforts are made for their availability only in the central correctional homes and not in other centres.
Admitting that inmates of the correctional homes did have access to mobile phones, Safwi said that the department had given a proposal for installation of jammers in the correctional homes premises.
Safwi said that there extortion by inmates as alleged by the Opposition members does not take place in any of the correctional homes.