Police Cells, Prisons And Ebola

Media reports so far indicate that the Government and allied bodies are working around the clock to contain the Ebola menace should it ever rear its ugly head in the Country. A lot of measures have been reportedly put in place to adequately deal with the menace including but not limited to the rescheduling of the reopening of both second cycle and tertiary institutions among others.

In fact, reports have it that, educational institutions particularly the tertiary ones have been asked to submit Ebola-preparedness plan to the Ministry of Education as a pre-requisite to their reopening which is quite commendable.

However, there is one institution which although is very vulnerable, Policy makers seems not to be giving it the required impetus and attention it deserves in the Ebola prevention equation. The institution is the country's prisons and by extension, Police cells.

We need no soothsayer to tell us that the country's prisons and Police cells are congested to the extent that inmates sleep in turns with limited or no health facilities. Some Police cells and Prisons are accommodating twice, thrice and in some cases quadruple their intended capacity.

Granted that currently there is no Ebola inmate in the Prisons, what measures have been put in place to screen in-coming inmates who may be carrying the disease? Have they been tasked to submit Ebola-preparedness plan before they admit new inmates? Are the authorities waiting till it strikes before in our usual characteristic fashion we do the right thing?

The 1992 Constitution is emphatic, and thus makes no distinction and uses a mandatory word (shall) at Article 15(1), it states- “The dignity of all persons shall be inviolable”

I am thinking aloud, the Interior Ministry and by extension the Government must act proactively to avert a situation or incident in the prisons or Police cells.

Sincerely yours,
OSEI KWABENA
0206177309