The Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center (CPDRC) will be getting a new infirmary, but not anytime soon.
Gov. Hilario Davide III took the cue from jail warden Romeo Manansala who pointed out that the jail lacked an infirmary for sick inmates, a need highlighted by the measles outbreak in the detention center.
Since last month, ailing detainees were placed in an improvised “isolation room” that is actually a vacant hallway facing the quadrangle next to holding cells formerly used to keep hardened criminals.
Inmates sleep in hammocks and wooden beds along the corridor.
“I’m thinking of an expansion. Hopefully, the budget will be enough. If not, we’ll look for other ways to get funding,” Davide said.
Davide said that he will consult with Provincial Engineer Hector Jamora about this and ask his recommendation.
He said the one-hectare CPDRC has enough space to house an infirmary.
Davide said he would make sure the project is completed before his term ends in 2016.
The governor said he was still waiting for a recommendation on whether visiting hours should be temporarily cut off due to the outbreak.
Overcrowding in the CPDRC which has exceeded its capacity was cited as one factor for the spread of measles.
“Even the municipal jails can’t accommodate all their detainees. Some of the mayors asked if they could send their notorious criminals over to the CPDRC, and so they’re there,” said Davide.
The governor said he is hopeful that a new infirmary would ease problems stemming from the limited space in the detention center.
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