PHC moved for provision of appropriate health facilities to prisoners

A senior lawyer has filed a petition at the Peshawar High Court demanding that the province provide adequate health facilities to prisoners and conduct a medical audit of all prisons in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Advocate Shabbir Hussain Gigyani argued that all individuals held in the jails of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are constitutionally entitled to timely, adequate, and medically appropriate healthcare as per the Constitution.

He cited two recent deaths of prisoners in Peshawar Central Prison due to delayed and inadequate medical treatment. The lawyer seeks orders for the provincial government to carry out an independent medical audit of all prisons, including staffing, medicines, laboratories, diagnostic equipment, emergency facilities, specialist availability, ambulance services, and referral mechanisms.

He also requests the preparation of a comprehensive Prison Medical Referral Protocol and establishment of secure prison wards in nearby government hospitals for seriously ill prisoners. The lawyer wants the court to ensure that appropriate security is provided to prisoners admitted to outside hospitals and that a centralised digital or physical Prison Medical Record is maintained for every prisoner, with their medical history, investigations, prescriptions, referrals, hospital visits, and treatment outcomes recorded.

The petition emphasizes that prisoners retain their fundamental rights, including the right to life and the inviolability of dignity, even while incarcerated.