INMATES of the Cebu City Jail will be the beneficiaries of the long-term health services offered by the “The Last Mile Program” of the Department of Health.
Assistant Health Secretary Nestor Santiago said that the inmates could avail of the services like medical checkup as they would be visited by medical personnel involved in weekly medical missions at the Cebu City Jail.
Santiago said that the program aims to give long-term health services to those considered the poorest of the poor.
It is a collaboration of the the Department of Social Welfare and Development, Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (Tesda), Cebu City government and Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP).
The program was launched last week simultaneously nationwide with the Cebu City Jail as the first beneficiaries of the program in Central Visayas.
Senior Supt. Dennis Rocamora, BJMP director, thanked the DOH and other program organizers for making the Cebu City Jail as the beneficiary of the program.
He said that currently, the jail facility caters to more than 5,000 inmates while its capacity is only around 1,600 inmates.
Rocamora said that the program would help give inmates hope and make them feel that they are not left behind.