inconsistent and not available to many, dental missions and reproductive health screenings are conducted with some detainees. There are also facilities like the Butuan Provincial Jail that shoulder medical expenses of inmates including surgery and medicines. While only half of the facilities visited have doctors, all have nurses who monitor the health of inmates. Genders of medical staff are mixed. In cases of grave medical emergencies, inmates are immediately brought to a hospital, except in the Dagupan City Jail Female Dormitory where even emergencies require court orders. In situations that are not deemed fatal, inmates need to acquire a court order from their wardens who often take days or longer to approve such requests. In the Davao Penal Farm, it was relayed that for detainees in maximum security, approval of requests for medical examination could take longer. Some take more than a month of processing. Some of the senior women receive extra attention from in-house medical personnel who monitor their health status daily. Some pregnant women receive special attention as well. In Region 1, medical staff escort pregnant women for pre-natal check-ups at least once during the course of their pregnancy. In the Quezon City Jail, monthly pre-natal check-ups are not available but a memorandum of agreement for general health services is in place with a nearby government hospital. There is a clear inconsistency in the availability of pre-natal health care among the facilities visited for the study. Some facilities are able to provide this service on a regular basis while others are unable to. Moreover, none of the women mentioned availability of post-natal care or services for those experiencing postpartum depression. Children are generally not allowed to stay with their mothers in detention due to a lack of space and in consideration of the best interest of the child. In CIW, an area is designated for mothers and their newly born children. In some instances, women were allowed to stay with their children for a longer period. In most facilities, as soon as WDL’s children are born, they are taken away from their mothers to live with family or to be turned over to the DSWD since there are no spaces in detention centers to accommodate children. In Makati, one participant shared that in general, children can only visit their parents and cannot stay. She recalled however the time a woman gave birth while in detention and she was able to keep 21

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