Prisoners getting healthcare is not something we should debate about. But I know why people get mad when their taxes help pay for the healthcare of people who have committed serious crimes. Like these prisoners could be murderers, serial killers, rapi*st and did something worse which made the other person suffer in life forever. It can feel unfair because normal citizens like us who struggles to afford a doctor but on the other hand a prisoner receives proper medical care.
First of all, why I think it's not an issue. Let me explain, it's because prisoners are still a human begin, I don't think we will ever feel peace we see someone getting hurt or leading a terrible life, unless we are like them. We are not like them, we have empathy which they lacked and for that reason they are in the prison now. Some people may have done something due to mental illness and they had no control over it. There could be many reasons for someone to end up in the prison. When they are sent to prison it means they have lost their freedom but they did not lose the basic right to stay alive and receive necessary medical treatment. I know some of these people really made terrible choices but the law decided to give them a chance in the prison. So, when they have some sort of serious illness, I do not think we should simply let them suffer.
There's one important thing everyone else should consider is that we do not always know the full truth. They could be in prison because they were framed by someone. Evil people would often make innocents suffer, they have power and money to manipulate the situation. So, what if they are innocent? but still losing years of their life behind bars for something they did not do. If you still can not understand that feeling then imagine yourself at their place, ask yourself how would you feel? So, I think people at prison are already suffering enough. This is one reason I think we should be more careful when we are deciding who deserves basic care. So, I don't see the necessity to take away the healthcare service for them.
I remember once seeing a hungry cat lying on the road people were walking past it because to them, “It is only a cat.” But I saw a child she stopped and picked up the cat and placed it on her lap, she took out her water bottle and helped the cat to drink. Later, she left the cat somewhere safe. So yeah, helping someone who is weak does not mean we approve of everything they have done. It's just that we shouldn't make suffering seem normal.
So, from my point of view this should apply to prisoners as well. Everyone should receive basic healthcare. The court did not give them death sentence so who are we to make them suffer with illness? Moreover, I think government should make sure that the facilities of hospital is developing and every citizen should be able to afford proper healthcare. Citizens should not feel forgotten while prisoners receive treatment.
In conclusion, healthcare is necessary for all and should not be taken as another punishment. Prisoners will face the consequences of their crimes anyway but they should be treated humanly because we are not them. We may never know the truth that why a person is inside the prison and sometimes may even be innocent. For me, fairness means protecting people's basic rights while also making sure victims and law-abiding citizens are not left behind.
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