Overcrowding of Prisons Leads to the Spread of Diseases

Overcrowding at the Sekondi Central and Ekuasi Prisons has led to the spread of yellow fever, diarrhoea, typhoid fever, pneumonia and cerebral spinal meningitis among the inmates.

The Assistant Director of the Sekondi Central Prisons, Joseph Kwaw-Yankson made this disclosure when the Pharmacy Council presented drugs valued at ?4 million for the treatment of the inmates last week.

He appealed to non-governmental organisations (NGOs), churches, individuals and voluntary groups in the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis to visit the prisons regularly and to support the Ghana Prison Service in its reformation exercise.

Mr Alexander Adjei, Senior Inspecting Pharmacist of the Sekondi Zonal Office of the Pharmacy Council, who made the presentation said the drugs were mostly class A and B drugs confiscated from chemical and other drug sellers, who were not authorised to sell them.

The drugs included injections, capsules, syrups, intravenous-infusions and tablets.

He noted that due to the confinement of prisoners, they are mostly forgotten by the society and the "Council decided to give those drugs to the inmates, to help reduce malaria and other diseases among them."

Mr Adjei appealed to the Effia Nkwanta Hospital to provide the Prisons with a doctor to see to the administration of the drugs.