The Delta State Ministry of Health has donated 1,000 insecticide-treated mosquito nets to the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS), Delta State Command, as part of renewed efforts to strengthen disease prevention and promote healthier living conditions across custodial facilities in the state.
The Commissioner for Health, Dr. Joseph Onojaeme, announced the donation on Tuesday in Asaba when he received the Controller of Corrections, Delta State Command, Mr. Spiff Segun, who paid him a courtesy visit in his office.
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 within confined spaces.
He said the donation of the insecticide-treated nets was therefore part of the Ministry’s broader commitment to supporting disease prevention and improving healthcare delivery within correctional facilities across the state.
“Correctional centres are very 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 said.
He said the state government remained committed to partnerships that would improve the welfare of inmates and strengthen healthcare interventions in custodial facilities.
Onojaeme stressed that effective rehabilitation required 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.
He assured the Nigeria Correctional Service, Delta State Command, of the Ministry’s continued support and collaboration in addressing healthcare challenges in the state’s correctional facilities.
Earlier, the Controller of Corrections, Delta State Command, CC Baranaye Spiff said the Nigeria Correctional Service (NCoS) remained 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 across the state.
The Controller, however, 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.
Baranaye appealed to the Ministry to deepen its partnership with the Nigeria Correctional Service 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.
