Nsawam Hospital stops attending to prison inmates

The Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) owes the Nsawam Government Hospital more than GH¢80,000 which has compelled the hospital authorities to stop attending to inmates of the Nsawam Prisons.

The Director General of the GPS, Mr Emmanuel Yaw Adzator, made this known yesterday when he appeared before the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) of Parliament.

He was at the PAC together with his lieutenants and a Deputy Minister of the Interior, Mr James Agalga, to answer queries related to issues raised in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Auditor General's reports related to the GPS.

Mr Adzator told the PAC that in October, 2013, the service paid GH¢46,940 to the hospital leaving a balance of GH¢42,036.

He said the GPS had written to the Ministry of Finance for the release of the money, but it was yet to be done.

Auditor General's Report

The 2012 Auditor General's Report recommended that management should issue a notice of liability to the Prison authorities for the settlement of the indebtedness.

Mr Agalga gave an assurance that his ministry would liaise with the Ministry of Finance to ensure early release of the money.

Prison situation

Mr Adzator said the country's prisons were currently congested by 30 per cent.

The prisons currently have 150,000 inmates instead of the total capacity of 90,000.

Mr Adzator said steps were being taken to improve the situation and decongest the prisons.

Infractions

The infractions cited in the 2011, 2012 and 2013 Auditor General's reports against the GPS included failure to lodge proceeds from the sale of farm produce into banks, payment of salaries to retired and deceased staff, exposing vehicles to the vagaries of the weather, delay in the execution of projects and fuel purchases that could not be traced to any of the service vehicles.