Some members of Parliament (MPs), mostly from the Volta Regional Caucus, have contributed to purchasing assorted medical equipment, worth GH¢65,780.00, to enhance service delivery at the Ho Central Prison’s health centre.

The initiative was at the instance of Mrs Angela Alorwu-Tay, MP for Afadzato South, to coincide with her 50th Anniversary, which fell on April 16.

She said the initiative was the social responsibility of the MPs to the inmates and prison officers.

She said plans were afoot to upgrade the health centre and, as a friend of the Prison, solicit for drugs from pharmaceutical companies for the centre.

Mrs Alorwu-Tay pledged to secure used clothing for inmates and donate 100 bags of cement for the improvement of works at the Prison.

Mr Patrick Darko Missah, the Director-General of Prisons, said its mandate was to ensure safe custody of inmates and rehabilitate them to become useful citizens.

He said government-provided healthcare to inmates through the National Health Insurance Scheme, free of charge, which had become a globally accepted norm.

The donation and upgrade of the health centre would ameliorate the risks involved in having to transport inmates to hospitals to access healthcare, he added.

Mr Darko Missah commended the MPs and pledged to maintain the medical equipment for its longevity.

Dr John Tampuori, the Acting Chief Executive Officer of the Ho Teaching Hospital, said the health facility could be a source of revenue generation for the prison if managed efficiently and pledged to support it with doctors to render services to inmates, officers and the public.

Mr Andrews Dzokoto, the Deputy Director of Prisons, said the Prison now held some 332 inmates when it was to accommodate 150.

He said it was rehabilitating inmates through formal and informal education, trade skills with 12 of them being prepared for the NVTI exams.

Mr Dzokoto said the Prison had the mandate to treat all inmates equally, irrespective of crime or status and as any human being, and commended Mr Joe Ayivor, MD of Afe Lotto, for his continuous support to the health centre.

Mr Emmanuel Bedzrah, on behalf of the Volta Caucus, pledged members’ continuous support to the Central Prisons.