THE Bureau of Corrections (BuCor) on Thursday, Aug. 21, 2025, said myocardial infarction, or heart attack, has become the leading cause of death among persons deprived of liberty (PDLs), surpassing tuberculosis (TB), long regarded as a major health threat in overcrowded prison facilities.
BuCor data from 2022 to 2025 showed 445 deaths from heart attacks compared with 59 from pulmonary tuberculosis.
In a report to BuCor Director General Gregorio Catapang Jr., Chief Supt. Ma. Cecilia Villanueva, director for health and welfare services, said TB remains a significant concern across all operating prison and penal farms (OPPFs) because of overcrowding and poor ventilation. But current data show other respiratory illnesses — such as pneumonia (234 cases) and acute respiratory failure (71 cases) — have become more common causes of mortality.
Other top causes of death in BuCor facilities were cerebrovascular accident (65), chronic kidney disease (61), electrolyte imbalance (43), sepsis (40), congestive heart failure (35) and anemia (19).
Villanueva said BuCor continues to manage TB through established programs in partnership with government and non-government organizations.
The programs include TB screening for newly committed PDLs at Reception and Diagnostic Centers (RDC), regular TB mass screening or active case finding, health education sessions on TB prevention and management, distribution of anti-TB medicines, vitamins and nutritional supplements, as well as regular monitoring and training of Tuberculosis Treatment Unit health officers. / PNA