As part of renewed efforts to strengthen disease prevention and promote healthier living conditions across custodial facilities in Delta State, the state Ministry of Health has donated 1,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS).
There are five custodial centres located in Ogwashi-Uku, Kwale, Agbor, Sapele and Warri.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, said the intervention was aimed at complementing efforts to protect inmates from mosquito-borne diseases, particularly malaria, noting that preventive healthcare remained essential in custodial environments where a large number of inmates live in confined spaces.
The commissioner announced the donation when he received the Controller of Corrections, Delta State Command, Mr. Baranaye Spiff, who paid a visit to his office.
‘Correctional centres are important. The objective should not merely be to keep people incarcerated for a period, but to ensure that they are reformed and adequately prepared to return to society as responsible citizens,’ he stated.
He said the government remains committed to partnerships that will improve the welfare of inmates and strengthen healthcare interventions in custodial facilities.
Onojaeme stressed that effective rehabilitation requires attention to the total wellbeing of inmates, noting that a healthy inmate was better positioned to benefit from correctional, educational and vocational programmes designed to facilitate successful reintegration into society.
Earlier, Spiff said the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) is committed to strengthening partnerships with relevant government institutions, particularly the Ministry of Health, to improve healthcare delivery and the overall wellbeing of inmates in custodial centres in the state.
Spiff lamented the severe pressure on available facilities occasioned by overcrowding, noting that the situation had heightened the need for stronger collaboration and external support, particularly in the area of healthcare.
He appealed to the ministry to deepen its partnership with the NCoS by supporting the provision of essential medicines, preventive healthcare interventions and other medical services required to address the health needs of inmates.
He stressed that sustained inter-agency collaboration remained vital to ensuring that inmates received appropriate healthcare while undergoing the correctional and rehabilitation process.