PESHAWAR, July 8: A woman prisoner has given birth to a dead child due to lack of proper treatment facilities at the central prison here.

It is learnt that the woman had already given an application for her medical checkup by a medical board, but the court concerned did not accept her plea and instead directed that she should be examined by the prison medical officer.

Interestingly, there is no lady doctor and nurse at the central prison and all the women prisoners are treated by two male doctors.

Sources said the woman prisoner, Samina, wife of Abdul Wadud, had been feeling weakness and submitted an application before the additional district and sessions judge, Wajihuddin, on June 22.

The court fixed June 28 for framing charges against her and hearing her application for medical treatment. After the arguments of her counsel, the presiding officer instead of referring her to a medical board directed that her checkup should be conducted in the prison and a report in this respect should be submitted to the court on July 10, the date fixed for next hearing. However, the court order had not reached the central prison till Monday afternoon.

In the meantime, the woman prisoner gave birth to a dead child on July 4. Jail officials claimed that it was a case of premature delivery as the prisoner was weak and the prison did not have facilities to look after expecting mothers.

The woman was arrested by the Pishtakhara police on Jan 26, while she was travelling in a bus on Bara Road. The police had allegedly seized 9kg of Charas from her.

Sources in the central prison said that women prisoners had been facing problems due to non-availability of lady doctor and the unsympathetic attitude of different courts.