The green chamber also mandated its committees on Interior, Healthcare Services to conduct an investigative oversight at the various prisons with a view to finding a permanent solution to the problem of poor healthcare services at the Nigerian prisons.
These resolutions are in line with a motion sponsored by Mr. Chike Okafor (APC, Imo) during plenary on Thursday.
In his lead debate, Okafor expressed worry about the deplorable state of prisons across the country stressing that it has manifested in non-availability of drugs and inadequacy of medical personnel, thereby resulting in avoidable deaths of inmates.
He said owing to the comatose nature of prisons clinics, inmates now depend on donations and outreach programmes from churches, mosques and voluntary organizations to access healthcare and procure drugs and at times, have to buy the drugs by themselves from vendors, some of whom sell fake, substandard or adulterated drugs to the inmates with their deleterious consequences.
According to him, the frequent outbreak of epidemics in the prisons and the high death rate recorded among inmate, which is evident in the over 32 inmate deaths recorded in 2016 at a Lagos prison owing to unavailability of quality medical care.
“The deplorable health situation in the prisons is a major public health hazard which without intervention, could result in more deaths and would amount to unsolicited death sentence to prison inmates”, said Okafor.
Adoption of the motion was therefore made by the House through a voice vote put up by Speaker Yakubu Dogara.
The committees mandated are expected to report back within three weeks for further legislative action.
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