Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

io. 2

HOUSE BILL NO. __

Introduced by Representatives FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZ,
YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ and JUDE A. ACIDRE

EXPLANATORY NOTE,

‘The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the inability of the Philippines health care
with the surge of patients needing medical care due to lack of medically-trained personnel

According to the World Health Oxganization (WHO), there are six medical doctors per 10,000
Population in the Philippines in 2017, the latest data available. This is lower than the recommended ratio
of 10 doctors per 10,000 population (WHO, 2018). Compared to other Southeast Asian countries, the
doctor to population ratio in the country is also lower. Singapore has 23 doctors per 100,000
Vietnam, Thailand and impoverished Timor Leste have each 8 doctors per 100,000 people. In developed
countries such as Italy and the United States, the doctor-population ratio is 40 and 26 per 10,000
population, respectively

Currently, the Philippines has a shortage of 290,000 health workers in the country as reported by
the Human Resource for Health Network (HRHIN), an inter-agency policy and program support network
led by the Department of Health (DOH). This is based on the WHO indicative HRH ratio of 44.5 HRH
to 10,000 population for the attainment of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Moreover, there is
an annual out migration of 13,000 health care professionals which aggravates the deficiency in the
ational supply of health care workers (POEA, 2020)

Against this backdrop, this bill aims to enhance the capacity of our country to produce and call
on the needed manpower and expand its human health resources in times of disasters and public health
emergencies of both national and local scale through the mobilization of a medical reserve force
specifically trained to supplement the existing human health resources to ease the burden in our
healthcare system.

AAs proposed in this bill, the Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) shall consist of the following hierarchy
of call whose primary mission is to support the country’s public health system in times of public health
emergencies:



1). Licensed physicians to include those who are retired and those who are no longer practicing
in the hospital setting.

2). Medical students who have completed their first four (4) years of medical course, graduates
of medicine, and registered nurses who may be issued by the Secretary of Health with a limited and special
authorization to render medical services pursuant to Republic Act No. 2382, otherwise known as the
Medical Act; and

3). Licensed allied health professionals.

Under the bill, medical reservists will be placed under the Health Emergency Management Bureau
of the DOH, and will be given compulsory basic training and continuing training programs on responding
to different national and local health emergency scenatios,

The MRC may be mobilized to conduct contact-tracing and monitor suspected cases during
disease outbreaks, help ensure quarantine measures, and provide logistics and manpower support for
large-scale disaster and health emergency operations. This bill likewise proposes the establishment of
mobilization centers in every province, where medical reservists can register for duty.

This bill was reported out by the Committee on Health under Chairperson
Angelina “Helen” Tan in the 18" Congress. It was approved on Third Reading by the House of
Representatives and transmitted to the Senate.

‘The immediate approval of this urgent bill is earnestly sought.

Wud G. ROMUAPDEZ

Representative
First District, Leyte

‘EDWA|MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ
Representative
Party-List, Tingog Sinirangan Party-List

JUDE AJACIDRE,



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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

2

HOUSE BILL NO

Introduced by Representatives FERDINAND MARTIN G. ROMUALDEZ,
YEDDA MARIE K. ROMUALDEZ and JUDE A. ACIDRE

AN ACT
INSTITUTING THE MEDICAL RESERVE CORPS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the “Medical Reserve Corps Act.”

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — Article II, Section 15, of the Constitution enjoins the State to
protect and promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.
Article XIII, Section 11 also provides for the adoption of an integrated and comprehensive
approach to health development. The State further reiterates its commitment to the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3, which calls on the State to ensure healthy lives
and promote well-being for all at all ages.

‘The State recognizes the need for a reserve force of highly skilled and medically trained
professionals and volunteers who can be mobilized to maintain the capacity to mect surges in the
demand for the country’s healthcare system and provide assistance as may be needed in times of
health crises.

Pursuant to this, it is the policy of the State to maintain a strong, proactive and responsive
healthcare system at all times, the workforce complement of which can be expanded rapidly by a
well-trained and well-equipped Medical Reserve Corps (MRC) in times of public health emergency
and health threats. Towards this end, the State shall enhance the capacity of the nation to produce
and call on the needed manpower and expand its human health resources in times of disasters and
public health emergencies of both national and local scale through the mobilization of the MRC.

SEC. 3. Medical Reserve Cops Service. - There is hereby established an MRC whose primary
mission is to support the country’s health system in times of public health emergencies or health
threats, and which shall be composed of the following:

a. Licensed physicians including those who are retired and those who are no longer
practicing in the hospital setting. The Department of Health (DOH) may coordinate
and collaborate with the accredited integrated professional organization or accredited

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professional organization of physicians for the engagement of private practitioners;

b. Medical students who have completed four (4) years of medical course, graduates of
medicine, and registered nurses who may be issued by the Secretary of Health with a
limited and special authorization to render medical service pursuant to Republic Act
No. 2382, otherwise known as the Medical Act of 1959; and

c. Licensed allied health professionals.

‘The MRC shall be organized, trained, developed and maintained so as to ensure their
readiness to immediately respond to the call to service.

SEC. 4. Organization. - The MRC shall be under the control and supervision of the Health
Emergency Management Bureau (HEMB) of the DOH.

‘The DOH shall develop an effective and efficient MRC organization and structure that is
responsive to national and local disasters and other public health emergencies, under such rules
and regulations as the Secretary of Health may prescribe.

SEC. 5. Registration and Training. - The DOH shall draft guidelines for the recruitment,
selection, compensation, and provision of incentives for joining and continued membership, and
length of service of the MRC members.

‘The DOH shall also prescribe a continuing training program for the MRC recruits and
members, through written, practical and simulation activities on various aspects of health
emergency management and response and on the different health emergency situations and
scenafios, such as natural and man-made disasters, epidemics, pandemics, and other threats to
public health. To this end, all recruits must undergo:

a. Compulsory basic training for a period to be set by the DOH on disaster and health
emergency response, the organization and structure of the MRC, and such other areas
as may be prescribed by the DOH. Recruits shall be given compensation for theit
attendance thereto; and

b. Continuing training and other activities to be conducted in coordination with relevant
and qualified agencies in the private and public sector, including the Armed Forces of
the Philippines (AFP) and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management
Council, to improve and reinforce skills. All registered members shall undergo
continuing training on a regular basis to upgrade their proficiency.

Successful completion of the compulsory basic training shall be a requisite for admission
into the MRC. Successful completion of activities in the continuing training program shall be a
requisite for promotion within the MRC.

SEC. 6. Registry and Accounting of Members of the MRC. — Registered members of the
MRC shall be issued individual serial numbers which will serve as their identification in case of
deployment.

‘The DOH shall maintain and update a registry or database containing the names of the
members of the Corps, their serial numbers, address, contact details and such other information


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as the DOH may determine, in accordance with applicable privacy laws. For this purpose, all
public and private colleges, universities and learning institutions shall transmit annually their
records of the graduates covered under this Act to the DOH.

An MRC Identification Card that describes the certification information of Corps
members, as well as other necessary identifying information that may be determined by the DOH,
shall also be issued.

All graduates covered under this Act are required to update their addresses and contact
details on file with the DOH as often as necessary. Orders of deployment sent to the addresses
and/or through the contact details on file with the DOH shall be sufficient notice for purposes of
deployment.

In cases when a graduate has changed address immediately prior to deployment, the LGU
shall immediately exert efforts to locate his known closest resident kin, who is then mandated to

exert similar efforts. The use of digital communications and social media shall be encouraged in
locating such graduates.

SEC. 7. Medical Reserve Corps Mobilization. — The prompt mobilization of the MRC shall be
carried out by authority of the Secretary of Health, upon the recommendation of the Director of
the HEMB or upon the request of national government agencies or local government units
(LGUs), in order to meet the needs of the populace in times of public health emergencies, whethet
of local or national scale, and for such other purposes in response to threats to public health.

‘The MRC may be mobilized partially or in full as may be necessary. The DOH shall
promulgate the mechanisms by which deployment is efficiently implemented, including the
organization of the Corps to be deployed, their territorial assignments, how deployment orders are
‘communicated to each member of the Corps and to which mobilization center they will report.

‘As defined in Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the “Mandatory Reporting of
Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act,” public health emergency
refers to an occurrence or imminent threat of an illness or health condition that:

(1) Is caused by any of the following:

@ Bio terrorism;

Gi) Appearance of a novel or previously controlled or eradicated infectious agent
or biological toxin;

(i) A natural disaster;

(iv) A chemical attack or accidental release;

(v) A nuclear attack or accident; or

(vi) An attack or accidental release of radioactive materials; and

(2) Poses a high probability of any of the following:

(@ A large number of deaths in the affected population;

Gi) A large number of serious injuries or long-term disabilities in the affected
population;

Gii) Widespread exposure to an infectious or toxic agent that poses a significant
risk of substantial harm to a large number of people in the affected population;


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(iv) International exposure to an infectious ot toxic agent that poses a significant
risk to the health of citizens of other countries; or

(W) Trade and travel restrictions.

SEC. 8. Deployment Order. - The President of the Philippines, upon recommendation of the
DOH, may order the nationwide mobilization of the MRC to complement the AFP Medical Corps
in case of a declaration of a state of war, state of lawless violence or state of calamity.

SEC. 9. Mobilization Centers. - ‘There shall be established in each province as many mobilization
centers as needed to which members of the MRC shall report to when mobilization is ordered.

Mobilization centers may be any establishment or facility that can adequately house the
MRC members, and their equipment and supplies during the period of deployment, including
multi-purpose halls, gymnasiums, and other similar structures, based on other requirements that
the DOH shall prescribe. The DOH shall, in consultation with the local executives, prescribe the
location of the mobilization centers. ‘The local executives shall disseminate to the widest extent
possible information to the public on the location of these centers.

SEC. 10. Mobilization Stock. -‘The minimum essential individual and organizational and medical
‘equipment and supplies shall be procured, stored, and maintained to enhance rapid transition to
readiness required for employment in the shortest possible time.

‘The DOH shall ensure and maintain the necessary capacity to scale up the procurement
of these equipment and supplies as needed during the period of mobilization.

SEC. 11. Enlistment of the AFP. - The Secretary of Health may enlist the AFP to provide
expertise on the organization and structure of the MRC for efficient, effective and swift
deployment, as well as for training of the MRC recruits on disaster and emergency response.

‘The Secretary of Health may also recommend to the President the enlistment of the AFP
to supplement the mobilized MRC for the purpose of providing logistics and manpower for large-
scale operations in times of public health emergency, contact tracing and monitoring of suspected
cases, enforcing-quarantine measures in specific areas or facilitating the transport of emerging
infectious diseases patients, and for such other related purposes.

SEC. 12. Protection to MRC Members. — All MRC members shall be accorded protection as
provided by existing labor laws and standards and other relevant occupations, safety,
environmental, and social legislation.

SEC. 13. Compensation and Benefits, - Members of the MRC who render service shall receive
all the pay and allowances, medical care, hospitalization, other privileges and benefits during the
period of mobilization as prescribed by law or regulation. ‘They shall also continue to receive all
pay, allowances, and other privileges and benefits from their regular employment during the
mobilization period in accordance with law.

SEC. 14. Legal Liability and Malpractice Insurance. ~ No MRC member shall be held liable
for the death of or injury to any person or for the loss of, or damage to, the property of any person
where such death, injury, loss, or damage was proximately caused by the circumstance of an actual
public health emergency or its subsequent conditions, or the circumstances of the formal exercise
or training if such formal exercise or training simulates conditions of an actual emergency.


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‘The Insurance Commission is mandated to develop public health emergency-specific
malpractice insurance policy or modify existing policies that would protect MRC professionals’
efforts from any legal liability as provided for by this Section to allow them to respond in good
faith during public health emergencies.

‘This Section shall not preclude liability for civil damages as a result of gross negligence,
recklessness, or willful misconduct.

SEC. 15. Termination of Deployment. — Upon the expiration of the period of deployment,
without an extension having been requested and approved by the DOH, members of the MRC
who are deployed pursuant to a public health emergency shall be discharged from the performance
of their duties. The deployment may also be terminated earlier upon a determination by the DOH,
in consultation with the requesting national government agency ot LGU, that such deployment is
no longer required in accordance with this Act.

SEC. 16. Annual Reports. —'The DOH shall regularly publish an annual report containing a list
of the accomplishments, status of the operations, demographic profile of the membership of the
MRC, an assessment of readiness for mobilization, and the incidence and details of each
mobilization for the year concerned. The annual report shall also include the results of the audit
investigation on the spending of funds appropriated, collected, or advanced for the
implementation of the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 17. Failure to Respond to Deployment. — Any member of the MRC who fails to respond
to the order of deployment without any justifiable reason despite due notice shall be required to
reimburse the total expenses incurred by the government in the member’s recruitment, selection,
training, and compensation, as may be determined by the DOH.

SEC. 18. Appropriations. ~The Secretary of Health shall immediately include in the
Department's Program the implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in
the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 19. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - Within thirty (30) days from the effectivity
of this Act, the DOH shall promulgate the necessary guidelines for the effective implementation
of this Act.

SEC. 20. Separability Clause. — If any provision of this Act is declared unconstitutional or
otherwise invalid, the validity of the other provisions shall not be affected thereby.

SEC. 21. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, orders, rules and regulations, other issuances, or
parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby repealed or modified

accordingly.

SEC. 22. Effectivity Clause. ~ ‘This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,