MANILA, Philippines — A number of mental health problems and respiratory diseases are now hounding detention facilities in the country, the Department of Health said.
In a press briefing DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo said diseases commonly found in detention facilities include upper respiratory tract infections, skin conditions, stress-related mental health issues, allergies, and ailments linked to hygiene, sanitation, and nutrition
“When we talk about communicable diseases, we talk about airflow, we talk about close contact, and those things are rather limited when it comes to places of detention. In addition to that are skin diseases; you also have stress, you have mental health conditions, and there can be allergies in particular areas,” he said.
According to the DOH, while there are several diseases currently prevailing inside the country’s prison cells most of these diseases are respiratory diseases.
On the other hand, Bureau of Corrections Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. said that reducing overcrowding in jails is the definitive long-term solution for facility enhancement.
For its part, the DOH said the signing National Policy on Promotion and Protection of Health in Jails, Prisons, Custodial Facilities, and Other Places of Detention, with commitments from relevant government agencies to ensure healthcare access, medical services, and nutrition for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), would effectively mitigate the issues faced by PDLs.
The Joint Administrative Order aims to provide accredited healthcare services inside detention centers or through community providers, establish specific standards for licensing and accreditation in detention settings, and ensure that detention health workers are covered under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers.
DOH Secretary Ted Herbosa said that PDLs are chained in bedposts when brought to hospitals to prevent them from escaping adding that building a facility inside BuCor or the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology would address this problem.
“They (PDLs) are brought to public hospitals, and sometimes, they are chained to the bedposts to prevent them from escaping while they’re in the hospital. So having a hospital facility within either BuCor or BJMP would address a significant provision. Also, the technical assistance that the Department of Health can provide,” Herbosa said.
Meanwhile, BJMP Director Ilna Maderazo stressed the necessity for additional clinics, citing the agency’s responsibility for managing municipal, district, and city jails.
“If you could imagine the structure of a municipal jail, it’s also small. Health-wise, there’s actually no space allocated for the clinic. So we need space for us to conduct our health programs, our health services properly,” she said.
“That’s why we issued a memorandum to all jails, requiring them to collaborate with LGUs. Because of the Mandanas ruling, we now have access for LGUs to issue orders allocating funds to establish good clinics if they have a jail under BJMP to better address health concerns… BJMP has its own funds but they are limited,” she said.
