HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and anaemia - leading causes of death in prisons

Accra, Sept. 24, GNA - Ghanaian prisoners die of HIV/AIDS, Tuberculosis and anaemia than other conditions, the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) Annual Report 2008 has disclosed. Out of a total of 107 deaths recorded among prisoners across the country last year, eleven persons died of HIV/AIDS, 15 inmates died of anaemia while 23 inmates died of Tuberculosis.

The report said the figure however, represented an annual decrease of 0.8 per cent in the death rate as 11 give up the ghost due to liver related diseases, eight from Septicemia and two died of hepatitis. It said 20 inmates died of other ailments and seven from Malaria. According to the report, three inmates died from cancer, hypertension and typhoid.

The report said health care delivery of the inmates had received the needed attention with HIV/AIDS and Tuberculosis control activities being intensified to reduce mortality among the inmates. According to the report, the GPS received GHC35, 300 from the National TB Control Programme which was used to build a Directly Observed Treatment Short (DOTS) course centre and a Secretariat at the Contagious Disease Prisons (CDP) at Ankaful to provide services for inmates.

It noted that the Prisons HIV/AIDS Control Programme (PHACP) continued to maintain its focus by designing programmes geared towards awareness creation, Voluntary Counselling and Testing (VCT). The report said GPS had decentralised the PHACP this year through the training and appointment of focal persons for all prison establishments in the country.

"Control activities received a further boost with the training of additional inmates as peer educators," the report said. 24 Sept. 09