The revelation that 54 prisons across Bangladesh lack ambulances is nothing short of shocking.
At a time when our country should be trying to modernize its justice and correctional systems, the fact that thousands of inmates have no access to emergency transport exposes a severe and dangerous gap in basic state responsibility and an utter disregard for humanity.
Prisons house some of the most vulnerable people - individuals with limited access to healthcare, often living in overcrowded, unsanitary conditions, and frequently suffering from chronic illnesses.
When medical emergencies occur, delays can and have been fatal with the lack of timely care. This is unacceptable, and calls for a very basic understanding that inmates in prison are human beings as well and deserve to be treated as such.
We have, at this point, a correctional system that violates among the most fundamental principles of human rights -- the right to life and medical treatment.
The state simply cannot ignore this issue any longer. Allocating ambulances to every prison should not be seen as a luxury but rather a minimum requirement.
However, the solution must go beyond vehicles. Bangladesh needs a comprehensive overhaul of prison healthcare, including trained medical staff, functioning clinics, emergency equipment, and clear protocols for rapid response.
Prisoners may be serving sentences, but they remain under the care of the state. Their health and safety should be non‑negotiable. A correctional system that cannot care for those within it is not one that can be looked at in a positive light.
This is a state of affairs that demands immediate correction. Every prison should have the bare minimum capacity to protect the lives of those in its custody.
