But believe it or not, every inmate of the Davao Penal Colony (Dapecol) gets only a peso for medical allowance each day which, incidentally, is deducted from his P30 daily food allocation.
Thus, concerned over the penal colony’s growing medical problem, with at least 40 inmates having died from January to September this year, Dapecol superintendent Benjo Tesoro wants the medical allowance doubled — to two pesos.
The penal colony has over 2,800 inmates many of whom, Tesoro said, are suffering from skin disorders, emphysema, respiratory ailments and even early stages of cancer.
The sick inmates need full medical attention which the Dapecol clinic, which lacks personnel, cannot provide, he said. They are often referred to government hospitals in this city.
"I can only speak for the Dapecol case. We still have to assess the situation in other prisons," said Tesoro, who assumed this week as executive prisons superintendent of the Bureau of Corrections.
He said inmates are normally given full medical attention during their "quarantine period" or the first 60 days after their commitment to a prison.
To address the problem, Tesoro has sought the help of various civic groups like the Rotary and the Kiwanis and even the Catholic Church and non-government organizations.