Acute shortages of doctors, ambulances and medical personnel have left Bangladesh’s prisons ill-equipped to provide emergency healthcare, a BBC Bangla investigation has found, with the recent deaths of two detainees bringing renewed scrutiny to the country’s correctional healthcare system.
The concerns come as prison officials acknowledge that although sophisticated medical equipment was procured years ago for prison hospitals, much of it remains unused because of manpower shortages, while rights groups say dozens of people continue to die in custody every year.
According to the Prisons Department, only two of the country’s 150 sanctioned prison doctor posts are currently filled on a permanent basis.
The remaining 72 prisons rely on 101 doctors temporarily attached from the health department, who provide services only during specified hours rather than round the clock.
Inspector General of Prisons Brigadier General Md Motaher Hossain said many prisons also lack ambulances, forcing authorities to transport critically ill inmates using alternative vehicles.
“If a doctor is unavailable at night, it is not possible to get one immediately. In emergencies we have to depend on pharmacists and diploma nurses before transferring patients to hospitals, which also takes time,” he told BBC Bangla.
The department also admits that expensive diagnostic and treatment equipment, including X-ray machines and operating theatre facilities installed in prison hospitals nearly a decade ago, has never been put into operation because there is no trained manpower to run them.
The shortcomings have come under renewed scrutiny following the deaths of Nurul Alam in Chittagong prison and Ishtiaq Ahmed Prant after DB custody in Faridpur.
Nurul Alam, who had been arrested on June 23, died the following morning after reportedly falling ill inside Chittagong Central Jail.
Prison authorities said he had undergone a medical examination upon admission and showed no signs of injury, while his family questioned the circumstances surrounding his death.
A forensic examination is underway.
In Faridpur, Pranto died a day after being detained by Detective Branch police.
His family alleged he was assaulted during arrest, while police said an inquiry committee had been formed and all officers involved in the operation had been withdrawn pending investigation.
Rights groups say the latest deaths highlight long-standing concerns over custodial safety and access to medical treatment.
According to Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), 61 people died in prison custody and four in police custody during the first six months of this year.
The Prisons Department, meanwhile, recorded 129 inmate deaths over the same period, including 74 prisoners who died before reaching hospital, BBC Bangla reported.
The Foundation for Human Rights Culture said expectations that custodial deaths would decline after the July 2024 political change have not been realised, arguing that structural reforms in both the prison and policing systems remain largely absent.
The prison authorities insist there is no deliberate negligence but acknowledge that the shortage of doctors, emergency transport and trained medical staff has become a major obstacle to providing timely treatment for inmates, an issue they say has remained unresolved despite repeated requests to the relevant authorities over the past two years.
