Prisoner health can make a difference

One important aspect of human existence is good health.

It is in recognition of this singular place of health in the life of a people that the right to health is captured in international human rights instruments and also enshrined in national constitutions.

Ghana has done well in this, as it recognises the right of the individual to easily have access to health care that is equitable, comprehensive and of highest quality within the resources of the country.

It has also been able to largely provide health care for its citizens through the National Health Insurance Scheme.

But one section of our population which continues to face challenges is our compatriots who find themselves in prison confinement.

It is common knowledge that the general conditions in our prisons are not conducive for the maintenance of good physical, social and mental health of inmates, while healthcare delivery there is not the best.

This has mainly arisen because of overcrowding in the prisons by about 56 per cent above their intended capacities.

Today, our prison population is estimated around 15,500 inmates occupying spaces meant for about a third of the figure. This situation has dire consequences on the health of inmates.

Unfortunately, information available to the Daily Graphic is that most of our prisoners are from such poor backgrounds that they receive no assistance from family members in times of health challenges. A lot of the time, therefore, the prison authorities resort to benefactors and philanthropists for inmates’ health care.

Coupled with this is the fact that infirmaries in the prisons are so poorly equipped that they can hardly be called first ports of call when it comes to health care for the prisoners. Even with prisons that are close to good hospitals, accessibility by prisoners is difficult.

Our worry and concern is that it is in this challenging environment that we are battling the global COVID-19 pandemic.

Unless something drastic is done, and immediately too, the poor conditions in our prisons will, in our view, present a very formidable challenge to containing and controlling the COVID-19.
One can imagine how fast the virus will spread if just one prisoner happens to contract the disease.

We, therefore, find it a welcome respite that the prisons authorities have directed all regional commanders and officers to ensure that new inmates are subjected to screening and also put on a 14-day quarantine before being admitted to the various prisons.

The prisons authorities deserve commendation for the measures they have put in place so far, which also include ensuring that prisoners wash their hands regularly and also use hand sanitisers.

But the peculiar conditions prevailing in the prisons such as overcrowding, pose grave danger to the health of the entire Prisons Service and, by extension, the country.

We are not in normal times, and for this reason we also note with satisfaction that the service has started the release of 808 prisoners who have been granted amnesty by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. (See Friday, April 3, 2020 edition of the Daily Graphic.)

One critical move that can be made to decongest the prisons is the pardoning of prisoners, especially those who committed minor offences.

This could also go a long way to safeguard the prisons from the effects of the raging pandemic.

Another measure which we hope will work is that the prisons authorities must drastically reduce the number of visitors to the prisons in these critical times to curtail any export of the virus to the prisons.

COVID-19 presents real challenges to our socio-economic life and development; we must, therefore, take every opportunity, no matter how insignificant it will be, to reduce the chances of infection.

We think there must be a conscious effort to begin a nationwide overhaul of healthcare delivery in our prisons to show respect to prisoners as individuals with the right of choice when it comes to decisions affecting their healthcare plans.