October 30, 2002	Wednesday	Sha’aban 23,1423

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RAWALPINDI, Oct 29: The laxity of the Adiala Jail administration has resulted in worsening of the condition of a Nigerian HIV positive prisoner, doctors told Dawn on Tuesday.

The prisoner, undergoing a sentence in a drugs smuggling case, has now been admitted to the District Headquarters Hospital, which, because of meagre resources, is unable to treat such patients.

According to the doctors, the patient, who was in a critical condition, could transfer the disease to others.

The 30-year-old man, lying in the hospital bed, is so weak that he can barely speak. He was initially brought to the hospital few months go with a complaint of nerves’ weakness. His pathological diagnosis revealed that he was HIV positive. The doctors said they had recommended the home department and the jail authorities to initiate the extradition proceedings as his condition was likely to deteriorate.

They said they had clearly told the authorities that keeping him in jail would be dangerous for other inmates, and was also not financially viable.

The jail authorities took him back, but they neither initiated the extradition proceedings nor did they give him the follow up treatment.

The doctors said due to the negligence of jail authorities, the patient had developed severe bed sores. “We are giving him anti-biotics, but the proper treatment cannot be given to him here,” a doctor said.

The other major problem being faced at the hospital, they said, was that the doctors and medical staff were afraid to interact with him. “We have provided all precautionary items like gloves, masks etc., but still the fear of accidentally contracting the infection exists,” a doctor said.

The doctors said there was no one to change the patient’s clothing and cleanse his wounds. His diagnostic tests are also not possible at the hospital. “We have again sent requests to the authorities for his immediate extradition,” they said.

The foreign prisoners, in a letter to this reporter few days ago, had claimed that disposable syringes were being brought into multiple use by the prison personnel. In case the allegation is true, there is a possibility that this patient may have spread the HIV infection to others as well.