Wa, March 30, GNA - The Upper West Regional branch of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) received 362 cases in 2010 covering all manner of human rights complaints. Out of this number, 351 of them were determined and closed out of which 254 were through mediation.

Forty-two cases are still pending investigation as at the end of 2010, Mr. Saddique Ubeidu, the Acting Regional Director of CHRAJ, told the GNA in an interview on Tuesday.

Mr. Ubeidu said the Commission had held several radio discussions, public fora including visits to communities to educate the public on their rights and responsibilities as part of the Commissions' public education derive. The Commission also visited all the Police Stations in the Region to inspect detention facilities to ascertain whether or not they were conducive enough to keep inmates. Areas considered in the inspection included sanitation, congestion, ventilation, meals and the general treatment of inmates in terms of human dignity.

He expressed concern about the lack of a female cell at the Wa Municipal Police Station that was established during the colonial era. Mr. Ubeidu said the Commission also visited the Regional Hospital to conduct interviews with patients as well as certain key personalities managing the hospital to find out whether or not the rights of patients were being respected.

This, he said, led to the pasting of the Patients' Rights Charter at all vantage points for patients to read and know their rights and responsibilities to create harmony between health staff and patients. He said the government, in Collaboration with CHRAJ, private and public sectors including civil society organizations, had developed an Anti-Corruption Action Plan which would soon be tabled before parliament.