Narayangarh (Chitwan), September 28
Sixty-nine of the 761 inmates at the Chitwan Prison Office in Bharatpur are suffering from various chronic and complex diseases, according to prison authorities.
The patients include those suffering from hypertension, diabetes, tuberculosis, mental health conditions, cancer and HIV/AIDS.
Inmates have died of cancer at the prison every year. The prison office said cancer patients from various prisons are referred to the BP Koirala Memorial Cancer Hospital in Bharatpur for treatment, and some patients in advanced stages of the disease die during treatment.
According to prison records, one inmate died of cancer in the current fiscal year 2026/27, said Chetanath Dhungana, information officer at the prison office.
One inmate died of cancer in each of the fiscal years 2025/26 and 2024/25. Dhungana said three inmates are currently suffering from cancer, with two receiving treatment inside the prison and one at a hospital.
Hypertension and diabetes account for the largest number of chronic and complex disease cases among inmates. According to the data, 42 inmates have hypertension and 22 have diabetes.
Dhungana said two inmates—one with cancer and another with a different illness—are currently hospitalised for treatment. He said health workers conduct daily health checkups and provide necessary medication to inmates receiving treatment inside the prison.
Five HIV-positive inmates are regularly taking antiretroviral therapy (ART) medication.
The Chitwan District Prison currently houses 717 men, 42 women and two dependent minors.
—RSS
