WESTERN REGIONAL PRISONS COMMAND LAUNCHES MEDICINE AND EQUIPMENT BANK

The Western Regional Command of the Ghana Prisons Service on Thursday, 29th October 2026, launched a Regional Prisons Medicine and Equipment Bank to address healthcare gaps and improve access to essential medical supplies across prison facilities in the region.

Speaking on the initiative, the Officer in Charge of Sekondi Central Prison, DOP Abraham N.M. Allotey, explained that the Bank would help bridge healthcare gaps by ensuring the timely availability of essential medicines and medical equipment. He called for sustained stakeholder support to ensure its effective and continuous operation.

The Chairman of the occasion, Nana Kobina Nketsia V, commended the initiative, stressing that persons in custody remain members of society and therefore deserve adequate healthcare and attention. He called for collective support from individuals, institutions and organisations to provide the medicines and equipment needed by prison health facilities.

Delivering the keynote address on behalf of the Director-General of Prisons, Mrs. Patience Baffoe-Bonnie (Esq.), the Director of Prisons in charge of Agriculture, Ali Kwaku Ababio, highlighted the importance of prison healthcare to public health, disease prevention and successful inmate rehabilitation. He noted that improving healthcare in prisons also safeguards the wider community, as inmates eventually return to society.

In an address delivered on behalf of the Western Regional Minister, the Special Guestof Honour, Hon. Joseph Nelson,the Metropolitan Chief Executive of the Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolitan Assembly, Lawyer Fredrick Faustinus Faidoo described the initiative as a valuable investment in public health. He called on individuals, corporate institutions and other stakeholders to support its sustainability.

The Medicine and Equipment Bank is expected to serve as a central resource point for mobilising, storing and distributing essential medicines and medical equipment to prison facilities across the region, thereby strengthening prison infirmaries and improving access to basic healthcare.

The launch climaxed with a fundraising session, during which sister security agencies, prison officers and other stakeholders made financial and material pledges towards the initiative.

The event was attended by traditional authorities, health professionals, religious bodies, sister security agencies and other stakeholders.