Bernard Antwi Boasiako, better known as Chairman Wontumi, has publicly demanded that Ghana establish a state‑of‑the‑art prison hospital and introduce regulated conjugal visitation as part of a broader overhaul of the country’s correctional system.
The former New Patriotic Party (NPP) Ashanti Regional Chairman made the proposals following his remand into custody on 20 July 2026, saying his time in prison exposed serious gaps in healthcare delivery, inmate welfare and rehabilitation.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, 27 October, by his spokesperson, Dr Palgrave Boakye‑Danquah, Chairman Wontumi said the correctional system urgently needs reforms to improve the welfare of inmates and prison officers and promote offender rehabilitation.
He argued that Ghana’s prisons must move beyond punishment to embrace rehabilitation, welfare and productivity, citing the lack of a dedicated, well‑equipped hospital for inmates nationwide.
Several facilities operate without essential emergency medical infrastructure, including ambulances and standby generators, making it difficult to respond to serious medical conditions. Inmates suffering from serious and terminal illnesses, such as tuberculosis, are reportedly managed under difficult conditions.
Chairman Wontumi proposes building an ultra‑modern prison hospital to serve correctional facilities across the country. As an interim measure, he wants the government to link prisons to the 37 Military Hospital and the Police Hospital for urgent or specialised care.
He also called for designated private spaces within prisons where inmates can receive visits from spouses and children under regulated conditions. “The prisoner is in prison, not the children or spouse,” the statement stressed, arguing that structured visitation could reduce tension among inmates, preserve marriages and strengthen family relationships during incarceration.
What follows is a call to action for the government to adopt these reforms and to ensure that incarceration does not automatically deprive families of meaningful contact with their loved ones.
