Bangladesh, March 31 -- A prisoner falls ill. Hours pass. A doctor is called. Sometimes, it is already too late.

This is not an isolated incident but a recurring reality inside Bangladesh's prison system, where delays in medical care, shortage of specialist doctors, and systemic gaps are contributing to a rising number of inmate deaths.

Slow medical response, an acute shortage of specialist doctors, and a lack of ambulances in Bangladesh's prisons are contributing to a worrying rise in inmate deaths, with at least 97 prisoners dying in the first two months of 2026 alone, according to official data.

Of them, 55 died in January and 42 in February, highlighting a persistent crisis in prison healthcare services.

The trend reflects a broad...