In a scathing revelation, Osagyefo Mawuse Oliver Barker-Vormawor, Lead Convener of the #FixTheCountry Movement and outspoken activist, has detailed troubling neglect by the Ghana Police Service in providing healthcare for detained protestors.
In a statement made public, Oliver Barker-Vormawor recounted a series of alarming incidents during his recent detention, where the police not only failed to cover his medical costs but also demonstrated a systemic disregard for the healthcare needs of other detainees.
According to his account, the police left him in the hospital without paying for the prescribed medications or the necessary medical tests.
“Yes, I can confirm the Ghana Police Service took me to the hospital and couldn’t pay for my drugs and medical tests. On the first day, they kept harassing the just-released protestors who came to see me at the Hospital to pay for the medications prescribed by the Hospital.
“They refused and called the Police out on it. Eventually, my brother gave the CID GHS 100 to pay for part of the drugs. The other drugs prescribed were not procured. Also, they didn’t pay for the blood tests that I had to do that day”.
Osagyefo Mawuse Oliver Barker Vormawor, Lead Convener for the #FixTheCountry Movement / Democracy Hub
Oliver Barker-Vormawor disclosed that when news of the police’s failure to cover his medical expenses became public, the police attempted to save face, adding that the police later sent mobile money (Momo) to one of the protestors, Priscilla, to reimburse the amount taken from his brother.
“We are also ready to share the receipt of the Momo transaction, where they paid back the money gotten,” he noted, further offering his consent to the Ghana Police Service to release any receipts that could confirm when the drugs were eventually procured.
Despite this effort at damage control, the activist was clear that the initial neglect was blatant, and he was returned to the cell without receiving the full range of prescribed medication.
Even more disturbing, he revealed that the next morning, around 4 a.m., a CID officer stormed his cell, hurling profanities at him for making the issue public.
Harassment of Detainees, Pattern of Police Misconduct
The lead Convener for the recent #StopGalamseyNow and #ReOccupyJubileeHouse protest, which resulted in the arrest, detention and remand of 53 protestors including himself, described this harassment as part of a larger pattern of police misconduct.
The activist’s experience reflects what he described as a systemic issue in Ghana’s police cells. He highlighted how detainees are barely taken to hospitals only after weeks of begging and are often returned without their medications being purchased.
“This is routine! So routine that as recently as literally yesterday, I sent my relatives to purchase drugs prescribed for an inmate. I have the receipts. The individual had been sick for a whole month before he was sent to hospital.
“They kept claiming that they called the CID and he didn’t show up. So that’s all they can do. And even when he came and took him to the Hospital, none of the drugs prescribed was purchased. They just dumped back in the cell at 1 am and left”.
Osagyefo Mawuse Oliver Barker Vormawor, Lead Convener for the #FixTheCountry Movement / Democracy Hub
Oliver Barker Vormawor’s account portrays a disturbing culture within the Ghana Police Service that disregards the health and well-being of detainees. “Let’s be clear! These issues are routine and systemic,” he emphasized.
Abuse of Legal Processes
He also criticized the police for their public posturing in his case, suggesting that their “constant playing to the gallery” indicates an awareness of their wrongdoing but a lack of willingness to address it.
“Just this morning, I engaged in a verbal confrontation with the Police over an individual who has been in custody for 2 weeks without being brought to court”.
Osagyefo Mawuse Oliver Barker Vormawor, Lead Convener for the #FixTheCountry Movement / Democracy Hub
He revealed that the CID in charge, one Abada, insisted that the detainee must first confess before being allowed to appear in court.
Oliver Barker Vormawor described such abuse of legal processes as so common that he could write “an encyclopedia” on the subject.
The activist’s harrowing account raises serious questions about the treatment of detainees in Ghana and the Ghana Police Service’s accountability in fulfilling its duty of care.
His parting words to the public were a reminder of the ongoing issues within the system: “But do you Ghanaians really care about the truth? If not, just read their laughable press statements and move on!”
This revelation calls for concern over police perceived brutality, detainee rights, and the urgent need for reforms within Ghana’s justice and law enforcement systems.
It also casts a shadow over the treatment of those involved in social and political protests, adding to the growing list of grievances against the authorities from the #FixTheCountry movement and other civil society actors.
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