Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

4139

HOUSE BILL NO.

Introduced by Honorable Diego “Nonoy” C. Ty

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Republic Act No. 7160, as amended, otherwise known as the Local Government
Code of 1991 devolved gargantuan powers and responsibilities to the local government
units, which include among others, health services. After several years, however, many
local government units clamored for the reversion of health services to the national
government claiming that they have no financial capacity to assume the cost of the
devolved health functions and responsibilities.

Hearing the clarion call of the local government units, a similar bill was enacted by
both Houses of Congress to revert the devolved health services but it was vetoed by
former President Fidel V. Ramos on the ground that it is against the grains of local
autonomy provision in the Constitution.

In recognition of the realities on the ground, the Department of Health (DOH), for
its part launched various initiatives to assist local government units in performing health
services to the people under the Human Resource for Health Deployment Programs
which is an annual hiring and deployment of community-oriented and dedicated human
resources for health to geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) and other
poor communities in the country. One of its core programs is the Nurse Deployment
Project (NDP) which notably aims to augment the nursing workforce in the rural health
units or birthing homes and barangay health stations to allow our marginalized
population have access to health services.

However, with this kind of deployment priority, there is one component of the
public health services that is left out: the local government-run hospitals. With some LGUs
having meager financial capacity to assume the cost of hiring their own health personnel
especially nurses, their delivery of basic services to their respective constituents is
compromised. Given this reality, it is of great significance that the Department of Health
expands the coverage of its Nurse Deployment Project to local government-run hospitals.

To achieve this purpose, this bill therefore seeks to institutionalize the NDP to
locally-funded hospitals in every municipality, city and province to supplement existing


workforce in order to deliver better quality of health services to the people especially in
poor communities in the country.

In view of the foregoing, the approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

DB jonoy<Z. TY
istrict, Misamis Occidental


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL No, _4139

Introduced by Honorable Diego “Nonoy” C. Ty

AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZATING THE NURSE DEPLOYMENT PROJECT (NDP) OF THE
DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH) TO BE ASSIGNED IN LOCALLY-FUNDED
HOSPITAL IN EVERY MUNICIPALITY, CITY AND PROVINCE AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in
Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. The existing Nurse Deployment Project (NDP) of the Department
of Health (DOH) is hereby institutionalized.

A nurse, who shall organizationally be part of the DOH, shall be assigned in
locally-funded hospital in every municipality, city, and province to augment
existing hospital workforce, and to perform the duties and responsibilities under
the NDP, which include, but not limited to, assist in the implementation of various
health programs of the local government unit in accordance with the program
goals and objectives of the DOH and the health sector.

SEC. 2. The nurse, under the NDP, shall be entitled to an equivalent Salary
Grade 17 under Republic Act No. 6758, as amended, otherwise known as the
“Compensation and Position Classification Act of 1989".

SEC. 3. The amount necessary to implement this Act shall be charged against
the current appropriations of the DOH for the purpose, Thereafter, such sums as
may be necessary for the continued implementation of this Act shall be included

in the General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 4. The DOH, in consultation with the Department of Interior and Local
Government (DILG) shall issue the necessary rules and regulations to implement
this Act.

SEC. S. This Act shall become effective fifteen (15) days after its publication
in the Official Gazette or in two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,