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Prisons service to join NHIS soon -
Manu
Accra, March 26, GNA - The Deputy Minister of the Interior,
Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, on Monday said plans were far
advanced for funds to be provided to put the Prisons
officers and inmates on the National Health Insurance Scheme
(NHIS).
He said due to some technical difficulties the Ghana Prisons
Service had not been part of the NHIS, but those issues were
being addressed vigorously to ensure that the inmates and
the officers were not left out.
Addressing a conference of Regional Commanders of the
Service in Accra, Mr Manu said government had made available
three million dollars out of the six million dollars budget
to purchase tools, machinery and equipment from South Africa
to revamp industrial wing of the Service.
The Regional Commanders conference is a platform for the
officers to discuss developments in the service and fashion
out strategies of improving their performance.
He said steps were being taken in Parliament to enable the
Service to retain 60 per cent of their internally generated
funds to sustain their workshops and improve the welfare of
inmates as well as the officers.
Mr Manu stated that 116 officers of the rank of Sergeant
were undergoing in-service training and would be followed by
additional 400. He said 600 recruits were pending approval
for training to commence.
This effort, he said, shows government's commitment towards
ensuring that the manpower needs of the Service were met for
them to discharge their duty of manning the prisons
effectively.
The Deputy Minster urged the Prisons authorities to step up
their agricultural activities by soliciting the service of
extension officers to produce enough to feed inmates and
officers to reduce dependency on government.
Mr Manu reminded the Regional Commanders to protect the
rights of inmates as a way of humanising the penal system to
conform to global standards of civilised conducts and
contribute to social reforms.
The Director-General of Ghana Prisons Service, Mr William
Asiedu said many governments over the years had neglected
the service in terms of allocation of resources to cater for
the needs of the inmates and the officers.
"We are being asked to scrounge living out of our poor
infrastructure and the resource-less environment", he added.
He was, however, full of praise for the introduction of a
bill, which would enable them to retain 60 per cent of
internally generated funds for administrative use.
"With the new dispensation the prisoners will have an
earning scheme to help them build working capital which
would start them off upon release," he added.
Mr Asiedu gave the assurance that the service would use its
skills to revamp productivity of the service and further use
their projects to provide for the needs of inmates and
officers.
GNA
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