CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINIj:S 
) 
Fifteenth Congress 
) 
First Regular Session 
) 
'1 f) 
DEC 15 
A10 :39 
SENATE 
Senate Bill No. 2 S 2 9 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo J. Angara 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
The 1987 Constitution specifically declares that the "State shall adopt an 
integrated and comprehensive approach to health development which shall 
endeavor to make essential goods, health and other social services available to 
all the people at affordable cost"l: The Constitution also provides that the State 
shall "undertake appropriate health, manpower development, and research, 
responsive to the country's health needs and problems."2 
Presently, neither of these two objectives has been attained by the State. 
Primary health services remain elusive or inaccessible to majority of our 
population, especially those living in the rural and poor areas of the country. 
As for our health care practitioners, particularly those in the nursing 
profession, a good number of them are denied employment opportunities to 
practice their trade and, consequently, the training to further improve their 
skills. 
The relationship of these twin objectives is unique in the sense that one 
can be achieved by means of the other. A program that aims to improve the 
accessibility and delivery of primary health services will inevitably create 
employment for our health care practitioners and hone their skills in the 
process. 
Conversely, increasing jobs and skill level in the health sector will 
render primary health services more available to the public. 
The proposed Community '.Health Delivery and Health Team Placement 
Act intends to take advantage of this unique relationship. 
But instead on 
focusing on one of the objectives and expecting the efforts to result in the 
accomplishment of the other, the proposed Act shall simultaneously tackle 
both objectives. The end goal is that the efforts to attain both objectives feed 
off each other and eventually initiate a virtuous cycle that shall elevate the 
availability of primary health care in the Philippines and the competence of 
Philippine health care practitioners to unprecedented heights. 
Playing a key role are the Local Government Units (LGUs) whose 
functions include the delivery of primary health services at the grass roots level 
and the Department of Health that shall ensure overall program coordination 
between the LGUs and the relevant national agencies. 
1 Article XIII, Section 11. 
2 Article XIII, Section 12. 


In view of the benefits that will be gained in both having a more effective 
healthcare delivery system and an efficient and more responsive healthcare 
personnel, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly requested. 


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CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES 
Fifteenth Congress 
First Regular Session 
SENATE 
) 
) 
) 
Senate Bill No. 2629 
'10 
DEC 15 
AlO :39 
Introduced by Senator Edgardo J. Angara 
, AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING A RESPONSIVE LOCAL HEALTH UNIT IN EACH CITY AND 
MUNICIPALITY TO ENSURE DELIVERY OF PRIMARY HEALTH SERVICES 
AND TO PROVIDE A MECHANISM TO ENSURE THE PLACEMENT OF 
REQUIRED HEALTH PERSONNEL IN THESE LOCAL HEALTH UNITS AND 
OTHER GOVERNMENT OPERATED HEATH FACILITIES 
SECTION 1. 
Short Title. This ,Act shall be known as the" Community Health 
Delivery and Health Team Placement Ad' 
SEC. 2. 
Declaration of Policy, 
It is hereby declared the policy of the State 
to protect and promote the right to health of the people through improved 
delivery and availability of primary health services across the nation, 
particularly in the rural and poorest areas of the country. It is also the policy 
of the State to promote employment opportunities in all sectors of society, 
including the health sector and'the health personnel who form part thereof. 
The State recognizes the vital role of local governments in providing health care 
and employment opportunities for health professionals. Towards this end, the 
State ensures health care delivery by providing accessible adequately staffed 
and equipped health care units at the local level and endeavors to provide 
employment opportunities for our health professionals in the Philippines, 
SEC. 3. 
Establishment and Maintenance of City and Municipal Health 
Units. All cities and municipalities shall establish and maintain at least one (1) 
Local Health Unit (LHU) which shall be under the supervision of the City or 
Municipal Health Officer. 
For cities or municipalities with populations of more than twenty thousand 
(20,000), there shall be one LHU for each succeeding twenty thousand (20,000) 
population. 
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Existing Rural Health Units shall be converted to LHUs, 
SEC. 4. 
Local Health Unit Health Personnel. 
. 
4.1. The LHU shall have at least the following health personnel: 
a. a duly licensed physician as Head of Unit 


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b. a registered nurse for every 5,000 population but no less than two (2) in 
each LHU, one of whom shall be a roving nurse 
c. a midwife 
d. a medical technologist 
For 4th to 6 th class municipalities with population of less than 5,000, the Head 
of the LHU may be a nurse practitioner instead of a physician provided that -
a. The Municipality shall ensure coordination with a physician who will be 
required to conduct periopic visits to the LHU and should be readily 
available and accessible for consultation, either personally or by remote 
communication. In this regard, the municipality shall (a) establish Inter-
LGU coordination with contiguous or adjacent municipalities, as well as . 
coordinate with the Provincial Health Office and with the Department of 
Health (DOH) to ensure the LHU's access to a physician at all times, and 
(b) shall provide the LHU with the facilities for remote communication 
and ready means of transport. 
b. The Nurse Practitioner shall be a registered nurse with at least five (5) 
years practice and with post-graduate nursing education. 
A nurse-led LHU may qualify for accreditation as a health care provider under 
the Medicare Para sa Masa Program of the Philhealth Insurance Corporation 
("Philhealth"), subject to such terms and conditions as may be provided by 
Philhealth. 
4.2. 
The city or municipality shall add health personnel to the LHU's plantilla 
to avoid understaffing or overloading based on the patient-health worker ratios 
determined by the DOH, and as said city or municipality may deem necessary 
to ensure the delivery of complete health services. 
"Health personnel' for purposes of this Act shall mean medical and allied 
health professionals such as doctors of medicine, nurses, midwives, dentists, 
medical technologists, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists and 
nutritionist-dieticians. 
4.3. 
The city or municipality shall ensure that the compensation and benefits 
under the Magna Carta for Public Health Workers or Republic Act No. 7305 will 
be provided to the health personnd of LHUs regardless of their status. 
4.4. 
Qualified health personnel Who reside in the city or municipality shall be 
given priority in recruitment to the LHU. 
SEC. 5. 
Local Health Unit Facilities and Equipment. The LHU should 
have facilities and equipment as may be required by the Philhealth to qualify 
for accreditation as a health care provider under Philhealth's Medicare Para Sa 
Masa Program. 
Furthermore, the LHU must ha~e equipment to be able to record health care 
services and data through an electronic medical records system. 
, 
SEC. 6. Heath Personnel Register. 
6.1. 
The DOH shall maintain a database of all health personnel positions in 
health facilities and health related establishments operated by Local 


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Government Units (LGUs), the National Government, its departments, agencies 
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and offices, and Government OWlJ.ed and Controlled Corporations (GOCCs). 
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"Health facilities" refer to LHUs, hospitals, sanitaria, health infirmaries, health 
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centers, 
rural health units, 
barangay health stations, 
clinics, 
other 
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institutional forms which similarly perform health delivery functions like 
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clinical laboratories, treatment a.nd rehabilitation centers, x-ray facilities and 
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other similar activities involving rendering of health services to the public and 
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health-related establishments. 
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"Health-related establishmenf' is a health service facility or unit which 
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performs health service delivery functions within an agency whose legal 
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mandate is not primarily the delivery of health services. This applies to, among 
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others, clinics and medical departments of government corporations, medical 
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corps and hospitals of the AFP, and the specific health service section, division, 
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bureau or any type of organizational subdivision of a government agency. 
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LGUs, the National Government, its departments, agencies and offices, and 
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GOCCs operating health facilities or health-related establishments shall notify 
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the DOH of -
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a. newly created health personnel positions; 
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b. vacancies in the health personnel positions within five (5) days from 
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occurrence thereof; 
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c. newly appointed health personnel within five (5) days from appointment. 
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6.2. 
Health personnel position's shall not be allowed to remain vacant for 
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more than three (3) months. 
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SEC. 7. 
Health Team Placement Program. 
A Health Team Placement 
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Program is hereby established to be implemented by the DOH. 
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7.1. 
The DOH may deploy health personnel in health facilities or health-
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related establishments operated by LGUs, the National Government, its 
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departments, agencies and offices and GOCCs. 
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a. Deployment by the DOH under this Section will be on a temporary or 
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contractual basis in an aggregate period not exceeding two (2) years. 
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Health personnel deployed by DOH shall be given preference in 
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appointments to vacancie;s in health personnel positions in health 
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facilities and health-related establishments operated by LGUs, the 
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National Government, its departments, agencies and offices, and GOCCs. 
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DOH may provide the health personnel requirements in LHUs in the 
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following instances. 
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i. 
For newly constituted LHUs in depressed, unserved/undeserved, 
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hard to reach and critical 5th and 6th class municipalities; 
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ii. 
In case of depressed; unserved/underserved, or hard to reach and 
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critical 5th to 6th class municipalities which are unable to fill their 
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LHUs health personnel positions; 
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iii. 
In case of municipalities whose LHU health personnel is on study 
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leave; 
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iv. 
In case of municipalities who require allied health personnel in 
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their LHUs on a temporary basis; 
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v. 
Other instances as the DOH may provide. 


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b. Health personnel deployed by DOH shall be entitled to the same 
compensation and benefits provided to health workers under the Magna 
Carta for Public Health Workers. 
7.2. 
Health personnel who require training for further competency or work 
experience may apply to the ,DOH as a health-trainee. 
The DOH, in 
coordination with the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), the 
Department of Interior and Local Government (DILG), the Department of 
Education (DEPED) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), shall 
deploy health-trainees to health facilities or health related establishments 
operated by LGUs, the National Government, its departments, agencies and 
offices, and GOCCs. 
Health-trainees are not entitled to salaries and benefits under the Magna Carta 
for Public Health Workers. However, they shall be entitled to a stipend and 
such other benefits as the DOH may so determine. The concerned LGU shall 
provide the health-trainees frye accommodations, daily meal allowance, 
allowance for travelling expenses, hazard pay, overtime pay, and additional 
stipend in an amounts to be set by the DILG in coordination with the League of 
Municipalities. 
SEC. 8. 
Health Personnel tn the Private Sector and in Educations 
Institutions. The DOLE shall ensure that the health personnel requirements 
for private establishment under the Labor Code are complied with. The DEP 
ED and CHED shall ensure that the health personnel requirements for public 
and private educational institutions are complied with. 
SEC. 9. 
Electronic Documentation of Health 
Services. A duly 
designated nurse in each Health Facility or Health Establishment shall be 
responsible for the electronic documentation of patient care and patient care 
outcome to facilitate quality health management and patient safety. 
SEC. 10. 
Funding for Establishment and Maintenance of Local Health 
Units and Health Team Placement Programs. 
1O.l. For the first three (3) years upon effectivity of this Act, the amount of 
_________ per annum sh;;;ll be used for the establishment or upgrading 
of LHUs in 4th to 6 th class municipalities. These annual amounts shall be 
sourced from net earnings from the Value Added Tax. 
10.2. The budget for personnel, maintenance and operating expenses of the 
LHU, as proposed by its Local'Health Board in consultation with the DOH, 
shall be automatically appropriated from the city's or municipality's Internal 
Revenue Allotment. 
10.3. The Secretary of Health shall prepare an annual budget to fund the 
Health Team Placement Program. Funding for the Program shall be sourced 
from the Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation. 
10.4. As a means to support the operations of the LHUs, cities and 
municipalities shall enroll their indigent population in the Medicare Para Sa 
Masa Program through the Philhealth Capitation Fund in such number as may 
be proposed by their Local Health Boards after prior consultation with 
Philhealth. There shall be annual incremental increase in indigent enrollment. 


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SEC. 11. 
Transitory Provisions. Upon the effectivity of this Act, all LGUs, 
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National Government departmenfs, agencies and offices, and GOCCs operating 
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health facilities and health-related establishments shall notify the DOH of all 
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health personnel positions in said facilities and establishments. 
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Cities and municipalities are given two (2) years from effectivity of this Act 
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within which to establish or upgrade their LHUs and have these accredited 
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with Philhealth. 
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SEC. 12. 
Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within ninety (90) days 
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from the date of effectivity of this Act, the DOH and the DILG shall, in 
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coordination with the League of Provinces, promulgate rules and regulations for 
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the implementation of this Act. 
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SEC. 13. 
Separability Clause. If, for any reason, any part or provision of 
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this Act is held by competent court to be unconstitutional or invalid, other 
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parts hereof which are not affected thereby shall continue to be in full force 
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and effect. 
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SEC. 14. 
Repealing Clause. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
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regulations, or parts thereof which are inconsistent with this Act are hereby 
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repealed, amended or modified accordingly. 
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SEC. 15. Effectivity. This Act,. shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
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complete pUblication in two (2) newspapers of general circulation and 
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submission with the University of the Philippines Law Center. 
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Approved,