The Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have launched an online system aimed at improving health care services for persons deprived of liberty (PDLs) in the bureau's facilities.
The BJMP received the Health Information System (HIS) project from the ICRC in handover rites at the Novotel in Cubao, Quezon City on Tuesday, according to a news release from the bureau on Wednesday.
BJMP chief, Jail Director Ruel Rivera, thanked the ICRC and underscored its significant role in the project’s implementation.
"We thank the ICRC for its generosity in funding the entire initiative, for training our implementors, and for intentionally capacitating the bureau in terms of its health services," Rivera said.
The project ensures that all PDLs are medically screened and assessed upon entry into detention facilities, with their health histories and concerns meticulously documented.
These comprehensive records will guide decision-makers in crafting data-driven health care policies for the jail system.
"Today, after more than three years of purposive team efforts between ICRC and the BJMP health team, we hope to continue achieving 100 percent correctness of basic health data and generate accurate health information that will help us address pressing challenges in jails," Rivera said.
He noted the system's significance in the BJMP’s strategic and long-term development plan.
"With this, we are now stronger and more able in our agency’s journey toward our goals in the area of health. There is no telling how many more impactful interventions we can do in the future with the accurate health data that this system promises," he said.
Meanwhile, ICRC Philippines head of support Malgorzata Klein said the handover of the project represents the culmination of a rich partnership between the organization and the jail bureau.
“It signifies that the BJMP is now ready to fully take the reins, continuing the innovations and improvements initiated during the course of the HIS project,” she said.
Klein also acknowledged the challenges faced by health workers in detention facilities, operating in high-security environments with limited resources.
Through the project, all PDLs will now have individual health records and all 486 BJMP facilities will submit monthly health reports based on the data gathered.
This initiative allows for a more data-driven and effective approach to health care in detention facilities and provides valuable data that will be shared with the Department of Health for health surveillance. (PNA)
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