ONLY five out of more than 400 police lock-ups have a custodial health unit (CHU) in the country, said Human Rights Commissioner Jerald Joseph.

Of the five, he added, only three have started operating the unit, while the other two will start soon.

The CHU is placed in police lock-ups to offer immediate medical care to detainees and overcome custodial deaths.

“The Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) would like to inform that three out of the five CHU in centralised police lock-ups have started operating on a project basis,” Jerald told a press conference today.

The five police lock-ups with CHU are in Bayan Baru (Penang), Indera Mahkota (Pahang), Jinjang (Kuala Lumpur), Shah Alam (Selangor) and Kepayan (Sabah).

“We are working with the Health Ministry, Finance Ministry and Bukit Aman to set up the unit in the other 400 lock-ups in the country,” said Jerald.

“Funding is very important for setting up the CHU, hence the Finance Ministry has to play a very important role in this matter.”

He said the CHU is made up of a medical officer, an assistant medical officer and a nurse who will check the health of inmates during admission and throughout their stay in custody.

Malaysia recorded its 14th case of death in custody this year on Saturday, with the death of a 42-year-old detainee in Pahang.

Bukit Aman Integrity and Standards Compliance Department director Azri Ahmad in a statement said the man died at the centralised lock-up in Indera Mahkota.

The detainee was given medicine for tuberculosis in the evening and found unconscious about an hour later, he added.

He was then brought to Kuantan Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

The detainee was locked up on March 21, after being sentenced to eight years’ jail under section 15(1)(a) of the Dangerous Drugs Act 1952. – April 11, 2022.