61 North Cotabato jail inmates have tuberculosis

KIDAPAWAN CITY, Philippines – Sixty-one inmates of the North Cotabato Provincial Jail were diagnosed to have been afflicted with tuberculosis virus due to congestion. The inmates', mostly old, have been transferred to an isolated area of the jail, according to jail warden Redentor Marasigan. Doctors from the North Cotabato Provincial Hospital closely monitoring the health of these ailing inmates and subjecting the other inmates to a regular checkup to prevent the disease from spreading further. "We are doing our best just to address the needs of these patients," Marasigan said. Marasigan attributed spread of tuberculosis to congestion, noting that the jail already has 700 inmates, though it was designed to hold only 350. The North Cotabato provincial government is proposing the idea of adopting a "prisoners without walls" program to decongest the jail. Under the program prisoners who are serving jail terms for minor case will be allowed to go out from the cell to do gardening and other income-generating activities. - GMANews.TV