As many as 911 inmates receive Swasthya Sathi cards

Kolkata: State government's health insurance scheme Swasthya Sathi under the Duare Sarkar programme—that was initiated in the correctional homes across the state two weeks back—has proved to be a boon among the inmates. As many as 2500 inmates have already filled applications for the scheme. Around 911 Swasthya Sathi cards have already been distributed among the applicants.

"We had sought help from the district magistrates for organising Duare Sarkar camps. Officials from the district administration have camped inside the correctional homes for providing services under this initiative of the state government. A total of 24 camps have already been held and Swasthya Sathi has had the highest takers. More such camps are going to be organised," a senior official of the state Correctional Administration department said.

According to sources, there are around 20,000 under trials and 5,000 convicts at 57 correctional homes across the state, including the 6 central correctional homes in the state.

Inmates of correctional homes are currently treated at health centres inside jails or government hospitals if the illness turns critical.

"We have had to face situations where we have felt the need to admit inmates to private hospitals to provide them with better treatment. But, funds had been a constraint. Now, we can have that relaxation too," the official said.

A WhatsApp number and an email ID are being provided to family members of the inmates to send their particulars like Aadhaar or PAN cards as proof of address and date of birth. If any family cannot avail of such an online facility, they can also physically submit photocopies of those

documents.