Nsawam Prison inmates undergo eye screening

My Health Behind Bars, a non-governmental organisation, has collaborated with the Ghana Health Service to screen over 299 prison inmates for eye related diseases.

The exercise which was carried out at the Nsawam Prisons in the Eastern Region will also have four females and 17 males undergo cataract surgery in the weeks ahead.

Mr Ebenezer Kofi Adu-Lartey, Project Director of My Health Behind Bars (MHBB), said the goal of the project is to ensure that all prison inmates nationwide have quality health care service during their time of sentence in jail.

He appealed to corporate bodies and donor partners to come on board to help extend the project to other prisons in the country.

Victoria Dankyi, Head of the Eye care team, and Principal Nursing Officer (Ophthalmic Nurse) for Ghana Health Service, said the objective for the free eye screening is to detect early and refer all those with complicated conditions for early management to prevent possible blindness.

Most of the cases detected during the exercise included refractive errors, cataracts, allergic conjunctivitis as well as glaucoma suspected cases which is being treated at the Nsawam Government Hospital.

Officials behind the initiative also called on benevolent groups to support with the provision of spectacles, eye medications especially antiglaucoma, antibiotics and antiallergics to control these conditions in order to prevent blindness.