275 inmates die in 5yrs on way to hospital from prison

The numbers of inmates in the 74 prisons across the country is nearly 82,000. However, the number of permanent physicians for them is only two. There are allegations that the ailed inmates do not get proper treatment due various crises and mismanagement.

According to the figures from the Directorate of Prisons over the past five years, an average of 196 inmates dies in prisons each year. In four years and nine months, a total of 933 inmates have died. Among them, an average of 58 prisoners dies annually while being taken from prisons or prison hospitals to outside hospitals. Over the four years and nine months, 275 inmates died on the way to hospitals.

Prison officials said physicians are posted to prison hospitals on ‘deputation’ or ‘attachment’. However, they are usually reluctant to stay there as there are no promotion opportunities, the workload is heavy, and despite being BCS cadre officers, they have to work under non-cadre officials.

According to the Department of Prisons, there are 14 central and 60 district prisons across the country, totalling 74. These prisons have a combined capacity of 46,000 inmates. As of 23 October, the number of prisoners was 78 per cent higher than the capacity, with a total of 82,000 inmates.

The issue of overcrowding in prisons is nothing new. During the tenure of the Awami League government, which was ousted in the July uprising, the number of inmates was nearly double the capacity. No major initiative was taken to reduce overcrowding or address the shortage of physicians in prisons. Although there have been exchanges of letters on the matter, no effective action was taken, and the situation remains the same.

Human rights activist Md. Nur Khan told Prothom Alo that over the past ten years, there has been no improvement in the poor conditions at prison hospitals. Corruption persists regarding the treatment and food of prisoners. Human rights activists have been raising these issues for a long time, but little has been done. The number of inmates exceeding the capacity is increasing day by day. He said that prisoners are under the protection of the state, and their proper medical care must be ensured. If deaths occur due to negligence, the state cannot escape responsibility in any way.

Two permanent physicians
According to the Department of Prisons and hospital sources, many inmates suffer from heart disease, high blood pressure, kidney and liver ailments, diabetes, skin problems, and dental and other illnesses. As a result, regular medical care is necessary.

According to the Department of Prisons, there are 148 approved physician positions for the country’s 74 prison hospitals. This means each hospital has two permanent physician posts. However, only two permanent physicians are currently working across the 74 hospitals. One is at Manikganj District Jail, and the other at Rajshahi Prison Training Centre.

When asked about the lack of interest in working at prison hospitals, Binita Roy, a physician at Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj, told Prothom Alo on 21 October that there are no promotion opportunities in prison hospitals. There is no provision for postgraduate studies, and even BCS cadre officers have to work under non-cadre officers.

Binita Roy also said that patient pressure in prison hospitals is high. Due to an insufficient number of physicians, proper treatment is often not possible. Many times, when a prisoner’s condition deteriorates and they are taken to an external hospital, they die en route.

In the absence of permanent physicians, the civil surgeon’s office of the respective district sends physicians to prison hospitals on a temporary basis. Across the 74 prison hospitals, this number is 101. Prison officials say that temporary physicians come in the morning and leave after noon or in the evening. Their residences are also far from the prison. As a result, it becomes difficult to provide immediate care if a prisoner falls ill at night.

Arefin Sabbir, a temporary physician at Rajshahi Central Prison Hospital, told Prothom Alo that the hospital has two temporary physicians. They have to treat at least 350 prisoners daily, which makes it difficult for just two physicians to provide adequate care. There is also no facility for prisoner diagnosis in the prison hospital, which prevents proper treatment.

There are 27 ambulances for the 74 prison hospitals. When a prisoner needs to be sent from a prison hospital to an external hospital, an ambulance is often unavailable, and they have to be transported in other vehicles, which do not have oxygen supply facilities.

Many prisoners are elderly. The total number of prisoners over 70 years of age is unknown. However, the prison authorities have said that 350 prisoners arrested during the July mass uprising and currently in custody are over 70 years old.

In 2003, a 200-bed hospital was constructed at Kashimpur Central Jail-2 in Gazipur to treat complex illnesses among the country’s prisoners. Although the hospital has medical equipment, a shortage of physicians, nurses, and staff has prevented it from becoming fully operational.

Al Mamun, senior prison superintendent of Kashimpur Jail-2, told Prothom Alo that although the hospital has six permanent physician posts and four nurse posts, all are vacant. Two female physicians have been temporarily assigned from the civil surgeon’s office. If a prisoner suddenly falls ill at night, immediate treatment is not available.

According to regulations, each prison should have a psychiatrist, but none are available. There are around three thousand female prisoners, yet no gynaecologist is assigned.

Brigadier General Syed Md Motaher Hossain, inspector general of prisons at the Department of Prisons, told Prothom Alo that multiple meetings have been held with the home and health ministries to address the various crises in prison hospitals. However, the problems remain. A previous proposal to provide ambulances for prison hospitals was rejected by the Ministry of Finance, and the proposal has since been submitted again.

Prisoner dies on the way to hospital
Soibur Rahman, 60, who had been sentenced to life imprisonment in a case filed under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act, fell ill at Dhaka Central Jail on the morning of 5 October. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital around 9:00 am that day, where the on-duty physicians declared him dead. His home was in Kansat of Chapainawabganj.

Soibur Rahman’s younger son, Habib Ali, and grandson, Minhajul Islam, told Prothom Alo that Soibur had been the principal of a madrasa in Kansat. After his conviction, he had been held at Rajshahi Jail. According to prison authorities, after he suffered a stroke (cerebral haemorrhage), he was transferred from Rajshahi Jail to Dhaka Central Jail and then taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, but he died on the way. Habib Ali said his father died because he did not receive treatment in time.

Incidents of alleged ‘suicide’ also occur inside prisons. On the night of 24 April, the hanging body of a prisoner named Md Jewel, 34, was found with a towel wrapped around his neck and tied to the cell grille at Brahmanbaria District Jail. Prison authorities said Jewel had committed suicide. In connection with the incident, prison guard Ripon Barua was temporarily suspended.

According to prison authorities, a total of 933 prisoners have died in custody from various illnesses over the past four years and nine months (from 2021 to 30 September 2025). Among them, 205 died in 2021, 132 in 2022, 227 in 2023, 179 in 2024, and 190 between January and September this year. Of the total deaths, 275 prisoners died on their way to external hospitals.

‘A fully equipped prison hospital is essential’
The Department of Prisons’ website states that its goal is to treat prisoners humanely and provide them with proper accommodation, food, and medical care. It also mentions providing necessary encouragement and training for social reintegration as responsible citizens. However, in practice, prisoners are kept in overcrowded conditions, the quality of food is low, and medical facilities are inadequate.

Motto Tito Miah, former president of the Bangladesh Society of Medicine, believes that a fully equipped prison hospital with physicians and ancillary facilities is urgently needed to treat various illnesses among prisoners. He told Prothom Alo that overcrowding in prisons increases the risk of skin diseases and tuberculosis. Prisoners are also at risk of heat stroke during hot weather. Poor sanitation and bathing facilities can lead to typhoid, and without proper medical care, prisoners with pneumonia may see their condition worsen. He said sufficient space must be provided for prisoners, and arrangements should be in place to transfer sick inmates to specialised hospitals.