ICRC, GenSan City Jail Male Dormitory build New clinic to provide basic health services for GenSan City Jail detainees
Photo courtesy: M. De Asis/ICRC.
COTABATO CITY (December 17, 2024) – All detainees deserve to be treated with dignity and fairness, regardless of the reason for their arrest and detention. Persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) must be given adequate health care, just like other members of the community.
On a press release received by the BangsamoroToday, stated that the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and the General Santos City Jail Male Dormitory inaugurated a new Jail Health Station on 13 December 2024. The clinic comes with essential medical equipment and furniture that will facilitate the delivery of primary health care to detainees in a setting that aims to be comparable to what is available in communities. Almost 700 detainees will benefit from the services of the new clinic.
“The clinic will offer basic health services and treatment to PDLs while preventing the spread of diseases,” said Rim Hajji, Head of ICRC Cotabato Subdelegation. “I wish to thank the authorities for collaborating with the ICRC. Together, we can help improve the delivery of healthcare in places of detention.”
The new clinic, which used to be the jail’s COVID-19 isolation facility, has a waiting and reception area, a consultation and examination space, a dental area, an observation room, a pharmacy, and a station for healthcare workers. A full-time health staff will be assigned to the facility and will work closely with the ICRC.
The experiences and challenges faced by the authorities when delivering healthcare to PDLs will serve as the basis for formulating standards for detention health facilities. Accreditation from the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation will be obtained so that detainees will be covered by the country’s Universal Healthcare Law.
Three other clinics built or rehabilitated by the ICRC in cooperation with detention officials are located in Bacoor City Jail, Caloocan City Jail and San Jose del Monte City Jail.
The ICRC is a neutral, impartial and independent humanitarian organization whose exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance, regardless of their political affiliation. It has the mandate to promote knowledge and respect of IHL or the law of armed conflict. (BangsamoroToday with report from ICRC)
