MANILA (ICRC-March 28, 2018) –Tuberculosis (TB)
is a major public health concern in the Philippines, which remains among the
most affected countries in the world. The country’s overcrowded places of detention
are particularly exposed to the disease. However, in New Bilibid Prison (NBP)
in Muntinlupa City, some significant gains have been made in the fight to
eliminate TB among inmates.
In
collaboration with the Bureau of Corrections (BuCor), the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) launched a pilot project at NBP in 2013 aimed
at improving TB control strategies.
Through
the project, more than 50,000 detainees were screened for TB. Around 2,800 of
them with active TB, including 219 detainees with drug-resistant TB, were
identified and enrolled for the treatment. Over 1,700 patients were cured, and
the TB mortality rate dropped from 157 deaths to 112 per 100,000 people. The
prison achieved the national and World Health Organization’s target of 90
percent success rate in treatment of drug-susceptible TB cases.
On 20
March 2018, this pilot project, which is also intended to serve as a model for
other detention facilities to enhance their TB program implementation, was
officially handed over to BuCor for continuance. Speaking on behalf of the TB
Treatment Unit, Dr. Maria Cecilia Villanueva was confident about the way
forward: “I know that our TB team will continue to do our best.”
“There
are areas that require strong focus, such as screening upon entry in the
Reception and Diagnostic Center, as it would allow us to efficiently diagnose
inmates and give them the treatment they need at the earliest possible time. We
now have the equipment and skills to do that,” Villanueva added.
Owing
to this collaboration, the NBP TB staff work in a renovated and functional
treatment unit. It contains fully equipped offices, clinic, pharmacy, TB
laboratory, and a 200-bed-capacity isolation dormitory with patients’ access to
open air and gardening.
On the
occasion of World TB Day on 24 March, the ICRC affirms its commitment to
continue its mobilization efforts to ensure access to quality TB care in
detention.
“We
believe that collaboration among the authorities and external partners is the
best way forward in order for the Philippines to be TB-free by 2035,” said Dr.
Kester Maniaul, TB in detention program manager of the ICRC.
“TB in
detention facilities is a serious public health issue. The gains we see now may
not be substantial to eliminate TB among inmates sooner unless overcrowding,
which contributes to the rapid spread of this preventable disease, and issues
such as the overall lack of human resources in jails and prisons are
addressed,” Maniaul added.
The
ICRC is a neutral, impartial, and independent humanitarian organization whose
exclusive 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.
In the
Philippines, looking after the rights of people detained in relation to armed
conflicts in the past three decades, the ICRC has been visiting detention
facilities across the country to monitor the conditions and treatment of
detainees. And whenever necessary, it also supports the authorities in their efforts
to address the causes of jail overcrowding and carries out projects to improve
inmates’ living conditions and their access to health care, water, and
sanitation. (By J.D. Cadion with ICRC PR)
For further information, please contact:
Allison
Lopez (in Manila), mobile: 0908 868 6884
Heidi
Anicete (in Manila), mobile: 0928 504 7648
or
visit our website: www.icrc.org/ph
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