REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

House Bill No. 7669

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

EXPLANATORY NOTE

In 2014, 12 Filipino women per day died from cervical cancer. Because cervical cancer is often
detected in its late stages, the mortality rate is high. According to the World Health Organization
(WHO), in the Philippines, cervical cancer ranks as the 2nd most common cancer in women
between the ages of 15 to 44, next to breast cancer. This is mainly due to late detection and lack
of awareness of the disease among Filipino women. As with all cancers in developing countries,
cervical cancer is usually diagnosed at an advanced stage. This is in part because of the paucity
of effective screening programs.

Itis in this light that this bill seeks to create a breast and cervical cancer diagnostic and treatment
fund which shall provide financial assistance for the medical care of indigent patients. The bill
provides for the composition and administration of the fund, the covered services, eligibility of
patients, and the disbursement of funds. It is hoped that this measure would alleviate the struggle
‘of women and their families who have to cope with the life threatening disease. Moreover, as a
proactive measure, it seeks to encourage women to undergo screening to protect them from the
same.

In view of the foregoing, immediate approval of this measure is eamestly sought.
~

AC. ALEJANO

Representative
Magdalo Para sa Pilipino Party-List


REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS
Second Regular Session

7669

House Bill No.

Introduced by MAGDALO Party-List Representative
HON. GARY C. ALEJANO

AN ACT
PROVIDING FOR A NATIONAL CERVICAL CANCER DIAGNOSTIC AND
TREATMENT FUND

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

SECTION 1. Short Title. This Act shall be known as the "National Cervical Cancer
Diagnostic and Treatment Fund Program".

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - \t is the policy of the State to protect and promote the
right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among them.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this article:

1. "Fund" means the breast and cervical cancer diagnostic and treatment fund;

2. "Qualified applicant" means a female who meets the financial and medical eligibility
guidelines of this Act pursuant to Article 5 hereof; and

3. "Provider" means a physician, hospital or medical provider currently licensed under
the state.

SEC. 4. Establishment of Cervical Cancer Diagnostic and Treatment Fund. - There is
hereby established a cervical cancer diagnostic and treatment fund which shall provide financial
assistance for the medical care of indigent patients for diagnostic and treatment services for
breast and cervical cancer.

‘The fund shall be comprised of money appropriated to the fund by the Legislature,
allocated to the fund by the national government and all other sums designated for deposit in the
fund from any source, public or private.

The fund shall be administered by the University of the Philippines - Department of
Health Cervical Cancer Screening Research Group (hereinafter referred to as the UP-DOH
CCSRG).

SEC. 5. Covered Services. - The Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) shall
appoint a committee of four (4) physicians from the UP-DOH CCSRG to promulgate the rules
and regulations for the administration of the fund.

‘The committee shall include one (1) physician whose specialty is gynecologic oncology,
‘one (1) physician whose specialty is surgery, one (1) physician whose specialty is radiology and
‘one (1) physician whose specialty is pathology. Responsibilities of the committee include, but
are not limited to, the following:



1. Establishing a list of covered services approved for payment through the fund. ~
Covered services include diagnostic and treatment services for cervical cancer or a
condition suggestive of cancer. An ancillary diagnostic study may be authorized only
when it is determined by the UP-DOH CCSRG to be directly related to the
confirmation of a diagnosis of cancer or is necessary for treatment planning;

2. Setting a limitation on days of service covered by the fund. - The Philippine General
Hospital (PGH) shall authorize the number of days for reimbursement based on the
medical condition of the patient and the procedure to be performed; and

3. Reviewing requests and providing authorization for payment of diagnostic or
treatment services covered by the fund.

SEC. 6. Patient Eligibility. - To be eligible for assistance in payment of services under
the fund, the following conditions shall be met:

1. The patient is not eligible for nor covered by medical insurance other than the
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (hereinafter referred to as PhilHealth);

2. The patient's income must be at or below the National Poverty Threshold or Poverty
Line based on the data provided by the National Statistical Coordination Board
(NCSB);

3. The patient has a condition clinically indicative of cancer that requires diagnostic
services to confirm the preliminary diagnosis and only those services determined to
be medically necessary for that diagnostic confirmation may be authorized by the
‘committee for payment from the fund; or

4. The patient has received diagnostic confirmation through a positive pathology report
and is requesting payment of treatment services by the fund.

SEC. 7. Application Process. - The PGH shall develop authorization request forms and
make the forms available to the provider upon request.

An application for inpatient diagnostic services shall be accompanied by a written, signed
statement from the attending physician which includes the medical basis for required inpatient
services and explains why the services may not be performed on an outpatient basis.

SEC. 8. Reimbursement Process. - The fund is the payor of last resort. Payment for
procedures shall be made at the current rate established by PhilHealth.

A claim for authorized services rendered shall be processed in accordance with rules
promulgated by the UP-DOH CCSRG.

SEC. 9. Appropiations. ~ The Department concerned shall include in their programs the
implementation of this Act, the funding of which shall be included in the Annual General
Appropriations Act.

SEC. 10. Separability Clause. - If any provisions or part hereof, is held invalid or
unconstitutional, the remainder of the law of the provision not otherwise affected shall remain
valid and subsisting.

SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations
inconsistent with this Act, are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.


SEC. 12. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in two (2) national newspapers of general
circulation.

Approved,