Inadequate medical attention for Kalutura detainees

[TamilNet, Wednesday, 23 June 1999, 17:43 GMT]
The Colombo based group, Forum for Human Dignity, has brought the case of Sivarajah Navaretnam before the Anti-Harassment Committee.

Sivarajah Navaratnam, a detainee at the Kalutara prison hospital with a history of paralysis below the waist, does not get adequate medical attention, said the group in its letter to the Anti Harassment Committee.

Ms Maheswary Velautham, the Forum's Secretary, has asked the Committee to either bring charges against Sivarajah Navaratnam and transfer him to a better hospital or release him if there are no charges against him.

The group has further told the Anti Harassment Committee that most of the detainees at the Kalutara prison suffer from various medical conditions and many had undergone mental torture. Instead of doctors and nurses, convicted criminals often dispense medication to the detainees, the group further alleged.

A prisoner who is found to be suffering from a disease that cannot be adequately treated or kept under observation in a prison can be moved to another facility by the Commissioner using the necessary powers granted under the Prison Ordinance, the Forum pointed out.