PPAG appeals for ambulances for Ghana Prisons Service

The Executive Director of the Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana (PPAG), Dr Joseph Amuzu has appealed to government, donor agencies and philanthropists to help Ghana Prisons Service to ambulances to transport the sick.

He observed that, the practice of transporting sick prisoners in taxis and other pubic vehicles to hospital around the country is not safe for both the sick prisoner, the prison officer accompanying the prisoner and the public.

Dr Amuzu was speaking at the review meeting of the implementation of the Phase Two of the Global Fund Project by the PPAG.

He also called for the rehabilitation of the various clinics in the prisons in the country and the provisions of drugs for the treatment of sick inmates.

The Phase Two of the Global Fund Project involved the organisation of HIV prevention activities by PPAG for the inmates of 35 prisons in the nine regions, which ended in June.

Under the project, PPAG provided hygiene kits, which contained tooth brushes, tooth paste and plastic razor blades for shaving to the inmates of the prisons.

PPAG also distributed educative materials on the prevention of HIV to the inmates, trained some of them as peer counsellors on HIV, counsel and tested the prisoners for HIV and referred those that need further care to hospitals.

Dr Amuzu said, due to the performance of PPAG, the organization had become one of the principal recipients of the New Funding Model of Global Fund in Ghana.

He explained that, under the Model, PPAG is to extend its HIV prevention activities from 35 to 43 prisons.

Dr Amuzu explained that, under the new project, the mandate of PPAG has been expanded hence the need for the organisation to review its performance to take advantage of its achievements and find solutions to the challenges faced in the implementation of the Phase Two of the project.