RAWALPINDI: An under-trial prisoner who tested positive for HIV and was complaining of shortness of breath at Central Jail Adiala died while being shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital (DHQ) by the prison administration on Friday. It has been learned that the accused, Awais Ahmed, arrested in a drug case in the year 2024 at the Jatli Police Station, was languishing in jail.
According to prison sources, Awais Ahmed, 40, son of Muhammad Akram, who was HIV-positive, was undergoing treatment in a hospital designated for such patients in the jail due to his illness.
When his health deteriorated and hecomplained of difficulty breathing, a medical team headed by the medical officer of the prison hospital examined him.
At that time, the prisoner had a blood pressure of 90/50, a pulse of 120 per minute, and an SPO2 of 85 per cent on room air. Immediate first aid was provided, but when there was no improvement, the jail authorities referred him to DHQ Hospital.
A police official who shifted the patient to the DHQ Hospital revealed that the patient died on the way before reaching the hospital. ‘He was suffering from HIV and breathing problems. He was pronounced dead by doctors on reaching the DHQ Hospital,’ he said.-StaffReporter