A prison hospital is urgently required in Malaysia to manage the health needs of an increasing number of inmates suffering from serious and chronic illnesses, a human rights commissioner said today.

Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (Suhakam) complaints and inquiry working group chairperson Prof Mohd Hamdan Adnan said this was because none of the country's prisons have in-house doctors.

"Even the country's newest prison complex in Sungai Buloh o­nly has visiting doctors from the Kuala Lumpur Hospital," he said when contacted today.

"It is important to build a specialised hospital for prisoners because it will be equipped with adequate security measures, and the inmates can receive proper treatment without having to suffer."

Hamdan was elaborating o­n a statement issued by Suhakam secretary Kamaruddin Mohamed Baria following a visit by the human rights watchdog to Kajang Prison last Thursday.

"We were made to understand that about 20,000 sick prisoners, including those with HIV/Aids, have passed through the system to date," said Hamdan, who is currently in Sabah as part of a Suhakam delegation.

"Medical attention is necessary for inmates suffering from HIV/Aids, tuberculosis and hepatitis, including those who have been released."