This story by the Daily Prothom Alo exposed the grim reality of healthcare in Bangladeshi prisons, finding only four doctors to treat patients across 68 prison facilities, housing more than 83,000 inmates. The Dhaka Central Jail’s only on-duty doctor sees 300 to 400 patients in a single day, and has neither a lab nor any diagnostic equipment to help with the job. In another jail, in Chattagram, the doctor sees a similarly stunning 250 patients a day. Amid a recruitment crisis, the report finds that while there are officially 141 posts for prison doctors, 137 of them are vacant.

The journalist behind the story, the award-winning Rozina Islam, investigated 10 such jails, only to find no specialist for nearly 3,000 female prisoners, no physicians for the disabled, and no psychiatrist for mental health care or counseling. According to the report, a large number of prisoners have heart, kidney, and liver disease, others have diabetes, tuberculosis, or AIDS. While the medical crisis in Bangladeshi jails has been reported in local media for years, this in-depth investigation spurred immediate action: within a week of the story being published, the high court ordered the Home Ministry and the Health Ministry to appoint doctors in all prison facilities, ruling that prisoners have a constitutional right to medical treatment.

83,000 Prisoners, 4 Doctors

This story by the Daily Prothom Alo exposed the grim reality of healthcare in Bangladeshi prisons, finding only four doctors to treat patients across 68 prison facilities, housing more than 83,000 inmates. The Dhaka Central Jail’s only on-duty doctor sees 300 to 400 patients in a single day, and has neither a lab nor any diagnostic equipment to help with the job. In another jail, in Chattagram, the doctor sees a similarly stunning 250 patients a day. Amid a recruitment crisis, the report finds that while there are officially 141 posts for prison doctors, 137 of them are vacant. 

The journalist behind the story, the award-winning Rozina Islam, investigated 10 such jails, only to find no specialist for nearly 3,000 female prisoners, no physicians for the disabled, and no psychiatrist for mental health care or counseling. According to the report, a large number of prisoners have heart, kidney, and liver disease, others have diabetes, tuberculosis, or AIDS. While the medical crisis in Bangladeshi jails has been reported in local media for years, this in-depth investigation spurred immediate action: within a week of the story being published, the high court ordered the Home Ministry and the Health Ministry to appoint doctors in all prison facilities, ruling that prisoners have a constitutional right to medical treatment.