More than 75 thousand people are serving time in prisons of the country and many of them are suffering from a variety of illnesses. The central jail arranges treatment for them but if someone is gravely ill then that person is taken to different government hospitals.
There is also an allegation that many remain at hospitals with fabricated illness certificates though such a facility is the privilege of the wealthy and the influential.
Though the prison authority says that only the sick ones are sent to hospitals outside the prison.
In the 13 central prisons and 55 district prisons, 87266 persons are incarcerated though the prisons have the capacity to hold half that number.
During 1/11 in 2007, the number of inmates rose to a record 80,000.
There are 141 posts of doctors in the prison but only 23 are working there so after giving first aid, most patients are sent to public hospitals.
As per account of 23 January, 2020, 106 persons are under treatment in the hospitals outside the prison.
There are some controversial figures in medical prison cells and they include: director of Destiny group accused of money laundering, yaba kingpin Amin Huda, former DG of passport department Wahidul Huq, accused of human rights abuses. Casino king and ousted Jubo League leader Ismail Hossain Samrat.
It’s known that some are critically ill with Ismail Hossain Samrat having spent time at the ICU.
Commenting on the prolonged period of time spent at the hospital, jailer of Dhaka Central jail Mahbubul Islam, said: “when a patient is ill, s/he is sent to a hospital as per the doctor’s advice but unless the hospital releases the person, the prison authority cannot do anything.”