The Ghana Prisons Service in the Central Region has launched a Medicine and Equipment Bank to improve access to essential medicines and medical supplies for inmates across correctional facilities in the region.
The initiative is designed to provide a central system for mobilising, storing and distributing medicines and medical equipment to prison centres whenever the need arises.
The Service says the initiative forms part of efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in correctional facilities while contributing to the protection of public health.
The launch was held in Cape Coast on Wednesday under the theme: “Prisons Health is Public Health: Strategic Mobilization of Drugs and Medical Supplies for Prisons Across the Country.”
The event brought together traditional leaders, representatives of the Ghana Medical Association, Members of Parliament, security agencies, the clergy, the Municipal Chief Executive, the University of Cape Coast, the Central Regional Coordinating Council, COA Manufacturing Company, the Prisons Service Directorate Headquarters, prison officers and other stakeholders.
Chairperson for the event and former Chairman of the Ghana Prisons Service Council, Dasebre Kwebu-Ewusi VII, stressed the importance of improving healthcare services in prisons.
The Omanhen of the Abeadze-Dominase Traditional Area said diseases and other health conditions affecting inmates could have implications beyond prison walls if they were not properly managed.
He therefore called on chiefs and queen mothers in the Central Region to support efforts to mobilise medicines and medical supplies for the bank.
Dasebre Kwebu-Ewusi VII said he and his brother, the Omanhen of the Oguaa Traditional Area, Osabarimba Kwesi Atta II, had committed to serving as ambassadors for the initiative.
According to him, they would engage relevant stakeholders within the region to mobilise medicines and medical equipment to support the bank.
He also appealed to corporate organisations, development partners and other stakeholders to contribute towards the sustainability of the initiative.
The Central Regional Commander of the Prisons Service, DDP Joseph Asabre, said the Medicine and Equipment Bank formed part of the Service’s “Think Prisons 360 Degrees” transformation agenda.
He explained that the agenda focuses on rehabilitation, welfare and improving living conditions in correctional facilities.
DDP Asabre appealed to the public, corporate organisations and well-wishers to support the initiative, noting that regular donations of medicines, medical equipment and financial resources would be required to keep the bank adequately stocked and operational.
The Regional Chaplain of the Prisons Service and Chairperson of the Regional Committee, Rev. ADP Joseph Adooba Oguo, said the initiative was aimed at ensuring that inmates had timely access to healthcare when they fell ill.
He noted that although health personnel were available at the various prison facilities, the absence of specific medicines at the time they were needed could delay treatment.
“These days we have health personnel at all the facilities, but sometimes when an inmate is not well and needs to be taken care of, the medicines may not be available,” he said.
Rev. Oguo called for sustained collaboration between government institutions, the private sector and development partners to ensure that essential medicines and equipment were consistently available.
He said a centrally stocked facility would enable the Service to quickly transport medicines and other medical supplies to any prison centre where an inmate required urgent care.
The launch was also marked by donations of cash, medicines and medical equipment from individuals and corporate organisations to support the newly established bank.
Story by Kwame Kakraba
