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Arra Perez

ABS-CBN News

MANILA — Health Secretary Ted Herbosa is keen on promoting health, wellness, and longevity to all Filipinos, including persons deprived of liberty (PDL).This, he said, is the significance of the signing Monday of the National Policy on Promotion and Protection of Health in Jails, Prisons, Custodial Facilities, and Other Places of Detention, wherein concerned government agencies commit to ensure access to healthcare, and right to medical services and nutrition of PDLs.Under the Joint Administrative Order, there will be &quot;accredited primary and special care within places of detention, or linked to care providers with the broader community&quot;; &quot;developed detention-specific licensing and accreditation standards&quot;; and &quot;inclusion of detention health workers in the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers&quot;, among others. In his speech, Herbosa said they will &quot;build a hospital in one of the lands&quot; of the Bureau of Corrections&#x27; (BuCor) Iwahig Prison and Penal Farm in Palawan and the communities in the area, among others. &quot;Iyong ating JAO includes two very important pillars: one is health promotion - very important na magkaroon ng healthy environments, physical, mental, social determinants... at pangalawa, very important iyong services for healthcare pag sila ay nagkasakit,&quot; he said in a press conference. (The JAO includes two very important pillars: one is health promotion - it is very important to have healthy environments, physical, mental, and social determinants... and second, very important are the services for healthcare when they get sick.)&quot;Sa public hospitals sila (PDLs) dinadala at ang nangyayari, kung minsan, kinakadena sila doon sa poste ng bed para hindi sila tumakas while they&#x27;re in the hospital. So if we have a hospital facility in either the BuCor or the BJMP (Bureau of Jail Management and Penology), malaking probisyon ang magagawa nito. And also, iyong technical assistance na maibibigay ng Department of Health,&quot; he added. (As I said, we will build facilities... You know, PDLs are taken to public hospitals and what happens is, sometimes, they are chained to the bedposts to prevent them from escaping while they are in the hospital. So if we have a hospital facility in either BuCor or the BJMP, this will make a significant provision. And also, the technical assistance that the Department of Health can provide.)<div dir="ltr"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/spotlight/11/18/19/prisoners-health-is-public-health-issue-too-manila-conference">Prisoners&#x27; health is public health issue, too: Manila conference</a></div>DOH Spokesperson Albert Domingo said the national policy would also standardize the health response of concerned agencies for PDLs, which includes strengthening of the referral system. &quot;&#x27;Pag nagtayo tayo ng ospital, tandaan natin it takes time. Siyempre, ngayon pa lang, congested na - inaamin naman ng gobyerno na kailangan nating solusyunan,&quot; he told reporters at the sidelines of the event. (When we build a hospital, we must remember that it takes time. Of course, even now, detention facilities are already congested – the government acknowledges that we need to solve this.)Domingo said they would look at the provisions of the Universal Health Care Act and other laws on referral, as well as study how to create referral pathways and how to bring patients to the nearest health care facilities.&quot;Importante na merong mga agreements between the hospital and the DOH and also the local government units... Ang mangyayari ngayon, meron na ngang legal cover na, &#x27;Uy, mag-usap-usap kayo at gumawa kayo ng mga guidelines at mga agreements.&#x27; Para pag nagkaroon ng isang person deprived of liberty na may sakit, agaran siyang madadala sa isang pasilidad at mabibigyan ng lunas,&quot; he said.(It&#x27;s important to have agreements between the hospital and the DOH, and also the local government units. What will happen now is there will be legal cover, saying, &#x27;You need to talk to each other and create guidelines and agreements.&#x27; So when a person deprived of liberty gets sick, he/she can be immediately taken to a facility and provided with treatment.)Domingo added there will be a &quot;trust fund for health&quot; of PDLs guided by the provisions in the JAO. <div dir="ltr"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/4/4/600-metro-manila-inmates-develop-boils-scabies-due-to-extreme-heat-1419">600 Metro Manila inmates develop boils, scabies due to extreme heat</a></div><div dir="ltr">PREVALENT DISEASES IN DETENTION</div>Prevalent diseases in detention facilities include upper respiratory tract infections, skin diseases, stress and mental health conditions, allergies, and conditions related to hygiene, sanitation, nutrition, Domingo said. BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr. acknowledged that decongesting jails is the &quot;permanent solution&quot; in terms of facility improvement, while BJMP Director Ilna Maderazo said they need more clinics, as the agency handles all municipal, district, and city jails.&quot;If you could imagine the structure ng isang municipal jail, so maliit din po iyon. Health-wise, iyong espasyo for the clinic ay wala actually. So kailangan namin ng space for us to conduct our health programs, our health services properly,&quot; she said during the press conference.(If you could imagine the structure of a municipal jail, it&#x27;s quite small. Health-wise, there is actually no space for a clinic. So we need space to conduct our health programs and services properly.)&quot;That&#x27;s why nagbaba kami ng memorandum to all jails, na dapat mag-collaborate sila sa LGUs. Dahil sa Mandanas ruling, meron na kaming access sa LGU na maglabas si LGU ng kautusan na mag-allocate sila ng funds para magkaroon ng magandang clinic kung meron silang jail from BJMP para mas matugunan ang health concerns... BJMP has its own funds pero limited lang po,&quot; she added. (That&#x27;s why we issued a memorandum to all jails, instructing them to collaborate with the local government units. Due to the Mandanas ruling, we now have access to the LGUs, which can issue orders to allocate funds for setting up proper clinics if they have a BJMP jail, to better address health concerns. BJMP has its own funds, but they are limited.)PhilHealth President and Chief Executive Officer Emmanuel Ledesma Jr. said they would facilitate the registration of PDLs who are not yet registered to the state insurer, and make sure that they are informed of their benefits. <div dir="ltr"><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/2024/7/11/pathologist-sounds-alarm-on-tb-cases-in-bilibid-1533">Pathologist sounds alarm on tuberculosis cases in Bilibi</a></div>

Agencies signed the National Policy on Promotion and Protection of Health in Jails, Prisons, Custodial Facilities, and Other Places of Detention.

Agencies signed the National Policy on Promotion and Protection of Health in Jails, Prisons, Custodial Facilities, and Other Places of Detention.

Gov't agencies commit to improve inmates' access to healthcare facilities, nutrition

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Gov't agencies commit to improve inmates' access to healthcare facilities, nutrition

Arra Perez,

ABS-CBN News

Published July 15, 2024 02:26 PM PHT

Read More:

PDL

detention facilities

health

healthcare services

BJMP

BuCor

PhilHealth

DOH

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