Family, legal team of Imaan and Hadi voice concerns over medical facilities at Adiala jail

The families and legal representatives of jailed lawyers and human rights activists Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chatta have expressed serious concerns regarding the medical care provided at Adiala jail. The couple was sentenced to 17 years in prison on January 24 under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, a conviction they are currently appealing.

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Imaan had initially complained of heavy bleeding from her gums, but there was no dentist available to examine her at the jail. We arranged for medicine to be sent to her after consulting our dentist, but not all of it reached her.

According to a statement issued by the family and legal team, while weekly meetings with the couple are satisfactory, Imaan has faced significant health issues over the past three weeks. These include severe gum bleeding, for which no dentist was available at the jail, and stomach problems. Concerns were heightened when Imaan was allegedly administered Zedron, a medication primarily for cancer patients and not recommended for women of childbearing age, to treat nausea.

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Worse, a medicine, Zedron, meant primarily for cancer patients and which specifically states that it should not be given to women of childbearing age, was administered to her to stop her nausea and vomiting.

Most recently, Imaan has been suffering from a serious chest infection, indicated by a high white blood cell count in a blood test. Her legal team stated that a chest X-ray is necessary to diagnose the infection and rule out diseases like tuberculosis, but jail authorities have yet to arrange one. The situation is compounded by the alleged lack of isolation for inmates diagnosed with infectious diseases, who are reportedly housed with others, including children.

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They conducted a blood test which showed a high white blood cell count, indicating an infection. She needs to undergo a chest X-ray, but the jail authorities have still not arranged one to determine the cause of the infection and rule out serious diseases such as tuberculosis.

The family and legal team emphasized that the state is responsible for prisoners' well-being and urged jail authorities and the government to expedite Imaan's chest X-ray and ensure adequate medical facilities, including dental care, for all female prisoners. They also stressed the need for isolation of infectious inmates and timely access to specialist doctors and medication, suggesting these issues could be avoided if their applications for sentence suspension were heard promptly.

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The women’s medical facilities and the availability of doctors leave a lot to be desired.