Both detainees and staff members of the Palawan Provincial Jail on Tuesday received free health services in line with the celebration of Nutrition Month.
Dubbed Bantay Kalusugan, the Provincial Health Office (PHO) and the Provincial Nutrition Office (PNO) collaborated in providing jail detainees and staff of the Palawan Provincial Jail (PPJ) with services such as blood pressure checks, determination of Body Mass Index (BMI), as well as health lectures and nutrition counseling.
“We really hold this yearly because they also have a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases. One of our interventions is to monitor and create awareness,” Provincial Nutrition Action Officer Rachel Paladan said.
During the discussion, Provincial Health Officer Dr. Faye Erika Labrador emphasized this year’s Nutrition Month theme, “Healthy Diet, Gawing Affordable for all!”
“There are many diets available now – keto diet, low carb diet, which are very expensive by the way. But the most important thing is an affordable diet. Did you know that we can plant our own food at home? If there’s no land, we can have a vertical garden,” Labrador said.
Paladan supported this statement and showcased the food garden maintained by the persons deprived of liberty or PDLs, where they harvest fresh fruits and vegetables.
“As part of our theme, ‘Healthy Diet, Gawing Affordable for all’, we included our PDL to be part of the lecture to provide additional knowledge on how to make their meals more nutritious and balanced aside from what the management provides. They need additional nutrients that they can get for free from their backyard garden,” Paladan added.
The PNO is responsible for creating menus for the PDLs and ensuring proper nutrition within the allocated budget, which the management of the PPJ appreciates.
“Our Provincial Nutrition Office and Provincial Health Office didn’t just come here today. They are always coordinating with us. Our Nutrition Office monitors their [PDL] diet, the menu. They try their best to make it nutritious despite the limited budget,” said Provincial Jail Warden Gabriel Lopez. (PNA)
