Prisons Service Recruitment: payment for medicals is unethical— Experts

A directive by the Ghana Prisons Service (GPS) for applicants who passed the aptitude test to pay a sum of GH¢800 Ghana cedis for their medical examinations has been criticised as wrong.

Security experts, Adib Saani and former police chief, Peter Toobu, have criticised the imposition of the fee for the medical examinations as unethical

According to security expert, Adib Saani, the fee being charged for the medical examinations is unfair to the unemployed applicants.

“It is unethical, it is immoral, it is insensitive…and callous, this poses an existential threat to the security of the state than any other issue; more than even terrorism.

This is a rip-off and that should not be encouraged in the first place, because we have police medical facilities, so they can collect the samples at these facilities and they have all the time in the world to run their checks, do their labs and get back to them,” he said.

Ex-Police Officer, Peter Toobu added that the fees demanded will pose economic challenges to the applicants.

“It would have been nice for the government to provide enough to absorb the cost because the young men and women in this country are suffering. If you provide them with free opportunity to access a job, and if you are lucky and you are picked fine and if you are not lucky and you are not competent enough to be picked fine, but you spend a lot of money, yet there is no hope.

“It also causes another frustration. It is really a challenge for the country and whatever challenge it is; it is an economic challenge,” Mr Toobu stated.

The Security experts have appealed for a refund of money to all applicants who are likely to pass or fail the medical examinations.

Adib Saani said: “If you imbibe all of these into your budget, you should be able to do it without getting exploitative like it is happening, you are going through a recruitment process and come to think of it, why should you let people pay to even be considered in the first place, knowing full well that, over 90 per cent of the applicants will not get the job, there is no justification and those monies that have been taken already should be given back to them as a matter of principle”.

Also, Peter Toobu who doubles as the Wa West MP asked:”Is it also possible that, if you are finally recruited, a portion of what you spent is can be refunded to you and if you are not recruited at all, a portion of it can be refunded to you with a thank you message for attempting to join the security services and failed although.”

The security experts made these comments on TV3 on December 10, 2021.