THE Bureau of Jail Management and Penology (BJMP) said it received from the Department of Health some 167 kits of medicines against Pulmonary Tuberculosis (PTB) inside its jails.

BJMP officials said the medicines were donated by the regional office of the DoH-National Capital Region (NCR), one of the many agencies who have waged war with the disease common among inmates.

BJMP Chief Jail Director Rosendo M. Dial said PTB remains the second leading cause of death among inmates in Philippine jails, next to cardio respiratory arrest.

“That is why we need to employ all means, tap all stakeholders to help BJMP in containing PTB within our jails,” added Dial.

He said the bureau’s TB Directly Observed Treatment Short Course Strategy (DOTS) program which puts PTB patients under direct observation and close monitoring has resulted in significant decline of PTB cases in jails.

Dial said the program has now expanded from NCR jails into other detention homes under BJMP’s management with the continuous assistance and support of the DOH.