Prisoner denied TB treatment

Deborah Cohen Manchester

Amnesty International has expressed concern about a seriously ill prisoner in Pakistan who has been denied treatment for tuberculosis. Former air force officer Akram Awan, who was sentenced to 14 years imprisonment for "antistate" activities after an unfair trial, is endangering his own life as well as that of prison staff and inmates.

Tuberculosis is spread by airborne droplet infection placing those in close contact with infected people at risk, particularly in crowded and closed environments, such as prisons. Kate Allen, director of Amnesty International, said: " Having denied Akram Awan a fair trial, the Pakistani authorities are now placing his life at risk by refusing him proper care for a deadly, but treatable illness."

The refusal of treatment contravenes the United Nations declaration, which states that "sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialised institutions or to civil hospitals." Furthermore, the Pakistani authorities have failed to recognise the 1997 Baku Declaration on Tuberculosis and Prisons which calls on "governments, ministries of justice and interior and state security and health to work together towards providing prisoners with adequate health care and the means to cure tuberculosis."

Neil Durkin, a spokesman for Amnesty International, said: "We are aware that the problem of the spread of tuberculosis is acute in some countries. The case of Akram Awan appears to be a classic example of prisons failing to recognise their responsibility to halt the spread of tuberculosis. Whilst focusing on the case of Mr Awan, we at Amnesty International would not wish for countless others suffering with tuberculosis to be forgotten."

Amnesty International has called on the Pakistani authorities to ensure that Akram Awan receives immediate care, including transfer to an appropriate medical facility if this is what medical staff recommend. The organisation has also emphasised that prison and political authorities must be educated about the consequences of allowing tuberculosis to go untreated.



studentBMJ 2001;09:261-304 August ISSN 0966-6494