18th July 2003

The attention of the Prisons Service has been drawn to recent publications in sections of the media alleging that Mr Kwame Peprah, former Minister of Finance, now serving a four-year term for ‘wilfully causing financial loss to the state’ has been denied medical attention by his doctor, ‘allegedly on the instructions’ of Mr Hackman Owusu-Agyeman, Minister of the Interior.

The story first published by the ‘Palaver’ newspaper and subsequently broadcast by other radio stations, also alleged that Mr Victor Selormey, former deputy Minister of Finance, also currently serving a prison term, has missed three urgent medical appointments in the past six weeks because of lack of transport.

i) The Prisons Service rejects both accusations and wish to state categorically that there is no truth whatsoever in any of the assertions.

Mr Owusu-Agyeman, Minister of the Interior, has never instructed the Prisons Service to deny any prisoner access to medical care or doctor and this includes Mr Peprah. The Minister did not even know that Mr Peprah has been taken ill.

Prison regulations do not allow for private medical doctors to visit their patients. This rule is applied to all prisoners irrespective of their status in life or the offence that led to their imprisonment and an exception cannot be made in the case of Mr Peprah.

The health of prisoners is managed by the Prisons Service in conjunction with health providers from Government hospitals and not Private hospitals.

In the case of Nsawam prisons, medical staff at the Prison’s clinic attend first to the inmates. Cases that they are unable to handle are then referred to either the Government Hospital at Nsawam or the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital or the Police Hospital in Accra.

On first entering a prison, the medical record of a convict is taken and this is passed on to the appropriate quarters.

While it is true that the Trust Hospital has made a request for one Dr Nanatogmah Mahama to visit Mr Peprah monthly to take his blood samples and check his pressure, the above regulations have been spelt out to them.

For anybody to blame the application of the Prison Services regulation on the Hon Minister for the Interior is very unfortunate indeed.

ii) The allegation that Mr Selormey has missed ‘three urgent medical appointments in the past six weeks’ only smacks of mischief. It simply is not true and Mr Selormey, would himself testify.

Indeed anytime that Mr Selormey has been due for treatment, because of his cardiac condition, a vehicle has been sent from Accra, early in morning, to convey him and other prisoners. The Service is not aware that Mr Selormey has missed any treatment and we are sure he must himself be as shocked as we are at this story.

While the Prisons Service faces serious problems, including health management, the general public must be re-assured that the health of inmates are of prime concern to the government and everything is being done to ensure the well-being of inmates. Already, talks are on going with the Ministry of Health on the possibility of seconding doctors to the prisons.