Adiala inmate dies on way to hospital

A detainee at the Adiala Central Jail, who was HIV-positive, died while being transferred to the District Headquarters Hospital after his condition suddenly deteriorated on Friday. The central jail currently houses two to three times more prisoners and detainees than its designated capacity. The overcrowding has also created various challenges for the jail administration and the Prisons Department. It was learnt that Awais Ahmed, an accused arrested in a narcotics case registered under FIR No 283 of 2024 at Jatli Police Station, was being held at the Adiala Central Jail as an under-trial detainee. According to jail sources, the detainee was HIV-positive and was receiving treatment at the jail hospital designated for such patients. On Friday, his condition deteriorated and he experienced difficulty breathing. A medical team, headed by the medical officer of the jail hospital, examined him and found that he was suffering from breathing difficulties, with a blood pressure of 90/50, a pulse rate of 120 per minute and a BSR of 80. The detainee was immediately provided with first aid. However, when his condition did not improve, the jail medical officer informed the jail authorities. Subsequently, Adiala Central Jail Superintendent Sajid Baig and the medical officer approached the Rawalpindi City Police Officer (CPO) for an immediate security guard to accompany the patient. The detainee was then shifted to District Headquarters Hospital, Rawalpindi, in a jail ambulance. However, it was learnt that Ahmed died on the way before reaching the hospital. Later, in accordance with jail rules, an external examination and post-mortem examination of the deceased detainee were conducted under the supervision of a magistrate. According to jail sources, the deceased detainee had been an under-trial prisoner at the jail for approximately two years in connection with the narcotics case. He reportedly received very few visits from family members or other visitors It may be recalled that, under the jail manual, prisoners and detainees transferred to jail following their arrest undergo an initial medical examination and, where necessary, screening through medical tests. However, the last major health-screening exercise at the Adiala Central Jail in collaboration with the Health Department was conducted on a large scale in 2023.