BAGUIO CITY – The Baguio City Jail–Female Dorm reported zero tuberculosis and mental health cases in the facility with the implementation of the enhanced provision of quality health care among the persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).
Jail Senior Inspector Joan Bacalan, acting warden of the Baguio City Jail–Female Dorm, said that through the Tuberculosis Caravan conducted by the Department of Health (DOH) several months ago, along with the facility’s tuberculosis screening efforts, the facility has successfully maintained zero TB cases.
Further, she claimed that in addition to the regular monitoring and ensuring the physical wellbeing of the PDLs, the facility also gives importance to mental health.
The jail warden claimed that various mental wellness activities are continuously conducted for both personnel and PDLs, contributing to the facility’s record of zero mental health-related incidents in the jail.
According to her, the facility continues to look after the health and wellness of the PDLs to ensure they will be spared from contracting illnesses that might compromise their health in the future, thus, appropriate health protocols are continuously being enforced within the facility to avoid the occurrence of incidents that might have an effect on the health of the PDLs.
Aside from having trained jail personnel to initially handle the health care issues of the PDLs, the facility also tapped the expertise of the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC) for medical and health-related assistance for PDLs in cases of emergency to ensure that the PDLs will be provided with quality health care services.
Various civil society organizations also conduct medical and dental missions inside the facility that help in providing the PDLs and even the jail personnel with adequate health care assistance for their health-related issues and concerns. By Dexter A. See
