Nine prisoners contract HIV/AIDS in Sheikhupura

Prison officials say district jail is over capacity, housing 2,000 prisoners

SHEIKHUPURA: Nine prisoners in Sheikhupura district jail have contracted HIV/AIDS. This revelation surfaced after District and Sessions Judge Choudhry Muhammad visited the district jail a few days ago.

During his tour, the judge met with sick prisoners. One prisoner relayed his complaints to the judge about the lack of treatment and the apathy of the facility’s officials.

After the judge enquired about the HIV/AIDS patients, jail officials revealed that nine prisoners suffering from the disease are being provided medical treatment by the government.

Prison officials said the district jail is over capacity, housing three times the number of prisoners it can hold. There are approximately 2,000 prisoners being held at the jail. During a regular health check-up, it was revealed that some of the individuals had contracted HIV/AIDS

Sources stated that prisoners have not been screened for diseases for several years. As a result, there is a fear of the disease spreading among inmates.

The district judge directed the jail superintendent and Sheikhupura district headquarter hospital medical superintendent to urgently screen the remaining prisoners so that the actual number of patients can be ascertained.

The judge also ordered that prisoners with HIV/AIDS be quarantined and kept separate from the other prisoners so that the disease can be contained.

When contacted, Sheikhupura District Jail Superintendent Asghar said, “I am not a doctor. However, the spread of such a disease among the inmates is a grave cause for concern.” He stressed that the cause for the spread of HIV/AIDS among the prisoners should be investigated on an immediate basis.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 30^th, 2019.