There has been an uncontrolled outbreak of COVID-19 inside the Nagpur Central Prison and the virus has infected hundreds, including prisoners and jail guards, Prof. G.N. Saibaba told his wife on Wednesday.
Prof. Saibaba (53) is wheelchair-bound with 90% physically disability, and he was convicted in March 2017 for his alleged Maoist links and sentenced to life imprisonment.
Explaining the condition of the jail to his wife A.S. Vasantha Kumari on a phone call, Prof. Saibaba said on July 8, all 20 prisoners of the Anda cell, where he is lodged, underwent COVID-19 swab tests and one prisoner was found positive.
“The disease has reached very close to me,” he told his wife, adding it was only a “matter of time” since it had reached his cell and that the officers who used to roam the barracks had contracted the infection as well.
Ms. Kumari said her husband is weak and has existing co-morbidities, which makes him more vulnerable. “This is a certain death sentence for him, as he is one of the most sensitive to infections in his current conditions.”
She said when he called on July 6, he said his health was not in good condition and that the jail authorities had taken him to Nagpur Government Super Specialities Hospital two times during the COVID-19 lockdown. “He was taken to five various departments in the hospital and advised to undergo more tests and prescribed some pain killers. The hospital conducted an MRI scan and some other tests, but the reports have not been given so far. Even after several requests, the old diagnostic test reports since September 2018 have not been provided to the family to take an opinion on his health condition,” Ms. Kumari said.
She said hospital doctors on June 25 had advised him to undergo a surgery to remove the gallbladder but under his deteriorated health conditions and the COVID-19 pandemic, the surgery is not advisable as the chances of infections are more. “So the doctors had suggested using cold and hot packs regularly, and that he should be provided with a medical bed to sleep, with six side pillows (to relieve continuous shooting pain), which have not been given yet.”
Due to the non-availability of attendants, Prof. Saibaba is unable to perform his day-to-day activities, including going to the toilet, Ms. Kumari said. “No one is there to help him and therefore he has been using very dirty and unclean clothes and bedsheets for a long time. Such an unhygienic environment will most probably lead to bad health conditions, including allergies, infections, etc.”
She said her husband’s left hand is on the verge of being dysfunctional and that there is acute pain in both his hands. He is plagued by pancreatitis, high blood pressure, cardiomyopathy, chronic back pain, immobility, and sleeplessness, Prof. Saibaba’s wife said.
