Govt urged to settle medical bills of Nsawam Medium Security Prison

 The Chairman of Parliament’s Select Committee on Hu­man Rights, Ernest Yaw Enim, has appealed to the government to urgently settle the debt of over GH¢506,000 owed by the Nsawam Medium Security Prison in medical bills.

He described the situation as a serious violation of the rights of inmates to health and life, calling for immediate intervention.

Mr Enim made the call during a familiarisation visit to the prison yesterday by members of the committee.

The visit formed part of their oversight role to monitor the country’s compliance with inter­national human rights treaties and to follow up on recommendations from the last Universal Periodic Review (UPR) at the United Na­tions, which flagged poor prison conditions in Ghana.

“This visit has opened our minds to a lot of issues. We’ve lis­tened to the concerns of inmates, the Director of Operations, and officers in charge. Immediate ac­tion is clearly needed,” he said.

The Nsawam facility, originally built to house 717 inmates, cur­rently holds over 3,500 -more than four times its intended capacity.

Mr Enim described the over­crowding as unacceptable, warning that it posed serious threats to inmates’ welfare and dignity.

In addition to overcrowding, the committee expressed concern about the inadequate feeding budget for inmates, which stands at GH¢1.80 per prisoner per day for three meals.

On his part, Member of Par­liament for Madina Constituency, Francis-Xavier Sosu, appealed to the President, John Dramani Ma­hama, to grant amnesty to inmates on death row at the Nsawam facility.

He said the President must exercise his constitutional pre­rogative of mercy, particularly for those who have spent more than a decade in condemned cells without commutation.

“These individuals have already spent 10 to 15 years in con­demned cells. If we stick to the old system—10 years before life, then another 10 before a definite term—it will result in grave injus­tice,” he said.

He proposed that the President commute existing death sentences not only to life imprisonment but to fixed terms such as 25 years, to reflect the spirit of Article 17 of the 1992 Constitution, which guar­antees equality before the law.

 FROM STEPHANIE BIRIKORANG, NSAWAM

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