MEDICAL facilities at police lock-ups can help address issues of custodial deaths, said Suhakam commissioner Jerald Joseph. 

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia, he said, was hopeful that the pilot project of having on site medical units at five centralised police lock-ups around the country would deter cases of custodial deaths, especially those involving inmates who die due to ill health. 

The project is expected to kick off soon in the Lepas, Jinjang, Shah Alam, Bandar Indera Mahkota and Kepayan centralised lock-ups. 

Jerald said these in-house medical units can help in taking care of inmates when they need immediate medical attention. 

He said that there were two possibilities for deaths in custody – one is due to torture and the other due to inmate falling sick. 

“Although we suspect it is more a case of abuse and torture in custody, the fact remains that inmates do die after falling sick or due to their poor health conditions,” he told The Malaysian Insight. 

The medical unit is like a small clinic in the lock-up with enough equipment for a doctor, a nurse and an assistant to be there to check detainees who are brought in. 

“This, in the long term, will take away any suspicion in any deaths in custody or torture issues,” he said. 

He added that with these units, doctors can also see these and monitor inmates under their care. 

“The doctors can then issue letters stating whether a particular inmate is fit or not to enter a lock-up,” he said. 

He also believed if a police officer does not call in a doctor when a detainee is having health problems, the officer will be in trouble, with disciplinary action being taken against him. 

Earlier this week, Jerald told a virtual press conference the medical units were a good way forward and a standard in many countries where doctors must verify the health condition of a detainee. 

He added that the move was in line with Rule 10 of the Lock-Up Rules 1953, which states that medical officers must check each detainee to the best of their ability and verify that the individual is fit to be detained. 

“The role and function of medical officers are crucial if we are going to ensure the number of deaths in custody decreases,” he said. 

In recent weeks, there had been reports of at least three custodial deaths in Malaysia. 

Earlier this week a 21-year-old who was arrested on a drug charge last year died at the Kluang hospital, less than a month after being moved to the Simpang Renggam prison. 

Surendran Shanker’s death comes just a month after that of cow’s milk vendor A. Ganapathy on April 18 and security guard S. Sivabalan on May 20. Both of them died in hospital after being held at the Gombak police station. – May 31, 2021.