The Ghana Medical Association, (GMA) says, the health conditions of prisoners in the country has reached a crisis level, the association has therefore called for an urgent national conference to discuss and address the issue.
Addressing a news conference in Tamale, the President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea, noted that, the level of overcrowding across all prisons in the country is unacceptable.
“There is currently a crisis situation in Ghana’s prisons that impacts negatively on the general welfare of prisoners especially their health.”
Dr. Ankobea expressed worry over the level of overcrowding across prisons in Ghana. He revealed that, some prisons in the country have in excess of three hundred percent of their holding capacity.
“For instance, the Tamale Central Prisons Service which was built to hold sixty prisoners, currently has more than three hundred inmates.”
The GMA is equally alarmed that, up to eighty two percent of prison inmates are below thirty five years.
The association has therefore called for a national dialogue to address the issue.
The News Conference marked the climax of a week long conference of the GMA in Tamale.
This year’s conference was on the theme: “the health of prisoners and other vulnerable groups in Ghana: the realities and expectations.”
Story filed by Murtala Issah
