Healthcare is for everyone, including persons deprived of liberty (PDLs).

According to the Nelson Mandela Rules, detainees “should enjoy the same standards of health care that are available in the community.”

To improve understanding on the importance of detention health as a public health issue, the UP Manila College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Behavioral Sciences organized the 3rd Health Care in Detention Course held from Aug 14-18, 2023.

Designed in collaboration with international and national health, academic, and detention authorities, the five-day course provided a current global perspective of the health needs of the detained population. It also tackled the multidisciplinary challenges in the organization and implementation of the detention health care services.

Participants included representatives from the Bureau of Jail Management and Penology, Bureau of Corrections, Philippine National Police, Armed Forces of the Philippines, Department of Health, Bureau of Immigration, and the University of the Philippines Manila.

(With reports from the International Committee of the Red Cross FB account)