icrc-annual-report-2013

training of health staff and midwives in basic life support andadministrative management. The Health Department, other stakeholdersand the ICRC drafted a contingency plan for post-Bophaemergency disease surveillance. In May, some 25,200 householdsstarted growing vegetables for their consumption using seed distributedin conjunction with their fourth food ration (see above).Productive inputs/training enabled 27,270 households to improve/restore their livelihoods, while 12,886 households boosted theirincome by participating in community-based cash-for-workprojects, such as the construction of 3,200 storm-resilient sheltersbenefiting 16,005 people.PEOPLE DEPRIVED OF THEIR FREEDOMDetainees held under the responsibility of the Bureau of JailManagement and Penology (BJMP), Bureau of Corrections, provincialauthorities and security forces received ICRC visits, conductedaccording to the organization’s standard procedures, aimedat monitoring their treatment and living conditions. Particularattention was paid to 1,025 security detainees, some held inrelation to the tensions in Zamboanga and Sabah (see Context),migrants, women, the elderly and the mentally ill. The authoritiesand ICRC delegates confidentially discussed any findings andrecommendations resulting from visits. In its dialogue with theauthorities concerned, the ICRC – mindful of the allegations ofarrest reported to it – sought to secure access to those detained.Nearly 300 security detainees maintained contact with relativesthrough National Society-facilitated family visits. Upon theirrelease, 20 security detainees had the costs of their transporthome covered.Dialogue between the NPA and the ICRC confirmed to some familiesthe detention of their relatives by the NPA and allowed theorganization to meet a few detainees before their release, with aview to addressing possible concerns.Inmates of one jail benefit from speedy case resolutionDetaining authorities and government agencies at central and locallevels strove to tackle the causes and consequences of prison overcrowdingwithin the framework of the ICRC-supported “Call forAction” process. Three working groups addressed shortcomings inthe management of TB, prison infrastructure and the criminal justicesystem, particularly procedural delays, one of the main causesof overcrowding.Taskforce “Katarungan at Kalayaan”, consisting of detaining authoritiesand members of the judiciary, reviewed the cases of inmatesin Manila City Jail who had been awaiting trial, some for drugrelatedcharges, for excessive periods of time. Some 390 detaineeshad their cases resolved, resulting in their acquittal or conviction.Between November 2011 and December 2013, the number of maledetainees held at the jail for over three years decreased by 33%.The jail’s paralegal and records office used the national electronicdatabase and two donated computers to manage inmate data. Over60 paralegal officers gained a clearer understanding of their tasksat a BJMP-organized training session and created a plan to reduceovercrowding in jails they were assigned to.Prison engineers improve detention infrastructureDetaining authorities also took steps to directly improve livingconditions and health services for inmates. BJMP and Bureau ofCorrections engineers/technical staff deepened their knowledgeof infrastructure quality, safety and maintenance during local/regional training sessions (see Bangkok). With ICRC support,including the training of 50 technical staff, these specialists helpedease the living conditions of 8,919 detainees in 12 prisons by renovatingdrinking water supply and sewage systems, sleeping facilities,kitchens, clinics and, in Manila City Jail, the drainage system.Ad hoc provisions of hygiene kits and recreational items supplementedthese efforts, benefiting 14,675 inmates, including thoseheld in Typhoon Haiyan-affected facilities.Detainees in two prisons learn more about TBThe Health Department/BJMP pursued efforts to strengthen thenational health information system. They launched a pilot projectin seven jails, with a view to improving the quality of healthcare provided to around 9,000 detainees there. Trained nursesexamined detainees and referred those needing specific treatmentto the appropriate services. Nearly 40,000 detainees in theseseven jails and in 21 other places of detention benefited from theICRC’s health monitoring efforts; vulnerable detainees needingfurther care received treatment at external facilities. The provisionof medical equipment/supplies helped improve services at21 prison clinics.Around 21,000 detainees in New Bilibid Prison and Quezon CityJail accessed TB-prevention and -treatment services, enhancedby ICRC material and technical input and the renovation of NewBilibid Prison’s 500-square-metre medical facility, including laboratory,pharmacy, examination, treatment and administrativespaces. Inmates better understood TB-infection control and coughsurveillance from trained wardens, health aids and peer educators,and from a booklet titled TB Behind Bars, also available inthe local language. Some 580 detainees received TB treatment,including underweight patients who improved their diet throughsupplementary meals. Treatment for TB patients continued aftertheir release with the help of the ICRC, which followed themup regularly.WOUNDED AND SICKThe weapon-wounded receive life-saving treatment inZamboangaPeople injured as a result of the fighting in Zamboanga receivedfirst aid from trained and well-equipped National Society emergencyresponders.In Mindanao and the Visayas, including in Eastern Samarand Samar, 23 hospitals enhanced their services with ICRCsupplieddrugs and surgical materials, of which 15 provided data.Around 980 weapon-wounded patients received treatment inICRC-supported facilities. They included, in Zamboanga,50 seriously injured people evacuated by the National Society tomakeshift/private hospitals, as the main referral hospital in the areawas caught in the crossfire. Twenty-four patients had their treatmentcosts covered.Medical specialists learnt more about weapon-wound managementfrom an ICRC surgeon during a workshop organized bythe armed forces. Following accreditation, the Philippine Collegeof Surgeons independently conducted advanced courses intrauma care.Amputees improve their mobilityThe DJF continued to upgrade its services with ICRC material,financial and technical support, which included sponsoringadvanced studies abroad for a technician and constructing308 | ICRC ANNUAL REPORT 2013