Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ,
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

House Bill No 4038

Introduced by REP. PRINCESS RIHAN M. SAKALURAN

EXPLANATORY NOTE

‘The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines provides that the State shall protect and
promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness among
them. The Constitution likewise asserts 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.

Further, the fundamental law of the land declares that there shall be priority for the
needs of the underprivileged, sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children and that the
State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers.

In the new normal, the medical field took the center stage in shaping what the post-
pandemic society will be. It is huge disservice, however, that despite the constitutional
exhortations of developing comprehensive reforms in the medical field, the State has
yet to fully exhaust all means in supporting and funding goverment hospitals. ‘The
reality on the ground is that current set-up are not sufficient to address most if not all
the health concerns of the people, patients are more likely referred to or transferred
and had travel to the closest tertiary hospital in the surrounding regions.

‘Thus, considering many patients in the provinces are undergoing dialysis
treatment, the aim of this bill is to provide all provincial hospitals with complere
Dialysis Machines for treatment to indigent patients to address the absence of such


hospital equipment specially for provincial hospitals whose budger are not enough to
1 i i
procute or at least repair their existing cquipment/machine,

In doing so, the hospital becomes more competent in serving the needs of its local
constituents, particularly the indigent members of the community.

To teach this objective of providing a quality hospital in all the provinces, immediate
passage of this bill is earnestly sought.



Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Batasan Hills, Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

4038

House Bill No.

Introduced by REP. PRINCESS RIHAN M. SAKALURAN

AN ACT
PROVIDING ALL PROVINCIAL HOSPITALS WITH COMPLETE
DIALYSIS TREATMENT MACHINES AND PROVIDING FREE
DIALYSIS ‘TREATMENTS TO INDIGENT PATIENTS AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

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

Section 1, - All Provincial Hospitals shall be provided with complete Dialysis
“Treatment Machines for use in the dialysis treatment to indigent patients.

Section 2. Free Dialysis Treatment to Indigent Patients. Dialysis treatment in all
provincial government hospitals shall be provided free of charge to indigent patients
in their respective arcas.

Section 3. Implementing Rules and Regulations. Within nincty (90) days from the
approval of this Act, the Secretary of the Department of Health and the Secretary of
Department of the Interior and Local Government shall promulgate the necessary
rules and regulations to implement the provisions of this Act

Section 4. Appropriations. Such amount as may be necessary to implement the
provisions of this Act is hereby authorized to be appropriated from the National


‘Treasury. Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continuous implementation of this
‘Act shall be included in the government hospital's annual appropriations

Section 5. ~ Separability Clause. 1f any provision of this Act is declared
unconstitutional, the other provisions not affected by such declaration shall remain in
full force and effect.

Section 6. — Repealing Clause. All laws, executive and administrative orders, rules
and regulations inconsistent with the foregoing provisions are hereby repealed or
modified accordingly.

Section 7. Efectinity. ‘Vhis Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
publication in the Official Gazette or in newspaper of general circulation,

Approved.