A total of 134 prisons last year from various diseases as against 105 in the previous year.

Ghana Prisons Service statistics has revealed that HIV/AIDS was responsible for the highest number of 21 deaths, followed by those of severe anaemia and tuberculosis with 19 and 17 deaths respectively. Eleven inmates died of congestive cardiac failure while 13 died of diarrhoea. Malnutrition, malaria and pneumonia claimed nine, eight and five deaths respectively while three each died of fever and haemorrhagic shock. Two prisoners each also died of cardiogenic shock, respiratory distress, septic sore, meningitis, epilepsy, acute recurrent condition and septic rash. The statistics further revealed that a prisoner each also died of chronic ulcer, bedsore, serology, prepyloric delivic ulcer and cerebral anoxia.

According to the 2001 annual report of the service, minor cases of ailment were treated by staff nurses and medical assistants while major cases were promptly referred to government hospitals. The report blamed the high level of diseases and deaths on the frightening over-crowding in the prisons, the “cash-and-carry” system and inadequate budgetary allocation for medical stores which greatly affected health care in prisons.