18 inmates dying daily in prison unacceptable, MP tells Zahid

The government must explain why as many as 18 prisoners a day are dying in Malaysian prisons from what are medically treatable conditions and take steps to stop it from continuing, urged an opposition MP.

"These statistics are shocking and completely unacceptable. Prisoners are entitled to the same standard and quality of medical care as the general population.

“The duty upon the prison authorities and government is all the more heavier as prisoners are entirely dependent upon them for medical care," said PKR Padang Serai MP N Surendran in a statement.

Referring to Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Zahid Hamidi parliamentary answer that the prisoners died mainly from diseases such as HIV, cancer, cardiac arrest, blood problems, lungs, tuberculosis, asthma and others, Surendran expressed incredulity that many of them perished from treatable conditions.

"Most of these diseases are treatable and should not have resulted in death if properly managed. Why then are so many prisoners dying from clearly treatable conditions?" he asked.

Surendran argued that the treatment of prisoners and the state of prisons reflect 'upon our values as a nation'.

Every human life, whether a prisoner or a person of high rank in society, is equally important and of equal value, he said.

"We call upon the home minister to urgently explain to the Malaysian public, the reasons for the high number of prison deaths and what immediate steps he proposes to take to address this matter.

The deputy prime minister must treat this as a matter of grave importance as it involves the sanctity of human life," said the MP.

Yesterday, Zahid, who is also home minister, revealed in a parliamentary reply to Surendran's question on the matter, that between 2013 and April 30, 2016, a total of 721 prisoners died in Malaysian prisons.

Surendran noted that this means that up to 18 prisoners die each month in our prisons.-Mkini