Prisoners ward eyed at CCMC

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government is building an exclusive ward for prisoners at the Cebu City Medical Center to ensure the safety of the ordinary patients.

Mayor Michael Rama and the officials of the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) in Central Visayas will be signing a memorandum of agreement soon.

The Cebu City Council has already authorized Rama to sign the MOA with BJMP-7 Director Deogracias Tapayan following a legal opinion from the city legal office that there is no illegal in it.

CCMC chief Gloria Duterte earlier asked the city officials to review the BJMP proposal to build an “inmate ward” at the city hospital to isolate prisoners from ordinary patients.

The expenses for the construction of the ward shall be bore by the BJMP. The city government, as its counterpart, shall provide the drugs and medicines.

Councilor Ronald Cuenco, chairman of the City Council’s committee on health and hospital services, explained that at present inmates are just mixed with ordinary patients in different wards.

“For security reasons, it is deemed wise to segregate the prisoners from other admitted hospital patients and provide them a separate and exclusive room in the hospital,” Cuenco told his colleagues in the City Council.

Some of the more than 2,000 city jail inmates are presently confined at the CCMC for various illnesses.

Tapayan said they will shoulder the construction cost and provide custodial services. She also assured the hospital management that jail personnel who will be assigned at the hospital will comply with the management’s policy.  (FREEMAN)