Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES /
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 1 31

Authored by: Congressman BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR.

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH
AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS, CREATING REGIONAL GERIATRIC SPECIALTY CENTERS
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH-RETAINED HOSPITALS, AND
APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

It is a policy of the State that promotes the right to health of the
people and instills health consciousness among them (Sec. 15, Art. Il,
Constitution). Likewise, the Constitution provides 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 people at affordable cost. There shall be a priority for the
needs of the underprivileged sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children.
The State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to paupers (Sec. u. Art.
XIIL, Constitution)

The National Center for Geriatric Health which is our country’s first
premier specialty hospital catering to the specific healthcare needs of our
elderly was established through the initiative of the undersigned.


Unfortunately, for the past nine (9) years, the services of the Center were not
extended to our elderlies, and to ensure the needed health services of the
Center were not extended to our elderlies as envisioned. To better respond
to the needs of our elderlies, and to ensure that needed health services are
available and accessible to them, there is an urgent need to establish a
specialized hospital that will truly and efficiently cater to such medical
needs. It is, therefore, the aim of this Bill to Convert the National Center for
Geriatric Health into a “National Center for Geriatric Health and Research
Institute”, with the objective of equipping, maintaining, administering, and
operating it as an integrated medical institution that shall specialize in
geriatric health services.

The government should not forsake the aged, as they have, one way or
the other, contributed to the good of our country. For even the Psalmist in
the Holy Writ prayed for God's help and for God not to forsake him when he
is old and gray-headed (Psalm 71:18).

In the light of these forgoing, the immediate passage of this Bill is
earnestly pleaded.

BIE) |. ABANTE, JR.


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 191

Authored by: Congressman BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR.

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH
AND RESEARCH INSTITUTE, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND
FUNCTIONS, CREATING REGIONAL GERIATRIC SPECIALTY CENTERS
IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH-RETAINED HOSPITALS, 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 “Geriatric
Health Act.”

SECTION 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to
protect and promote the right to health of senior citizens all over the
country by ensuring that holistic health services are available and accessible
to them through the establishment of a specialized hospital and research
institute as well as geriatric specialty centers in the Department of Health
(DOH) - retained hospitals in every region.

SECTION 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:


a. Acute care refers to a specialized program that addresses the
needs of hospitalized older adults in a multidisciplinary team
approach to prevent functional and cognitive decline and
improve outcomes;

b. Apex or end-referral hospital refers to a hospital offering
specialized services as determined by DOH, which is contracted
as a stand-alone facility by the Philippine Health Insurance
Corporation (PhilHealth);

c. Geriatric health services refer to the medical services or
interventions provided by a multidisciplinary team to older adult
patients;

d. Geriatric medicine or Geriatrics refers to the sub-specialty of
internal and family medicine that diagnoses and treats a wide
range of conditions and diseases that affect people as they age
and aims to promote health and treat disabilities of older adults;

e. Geriatric palliative care refers to specialized medical care that
focuses on providing elderly patients relief from pain and other
symptoms of a serious illness, regardless of diagnosis or stage of
disease, and provided alongside curative and other forms of
treatment. It is a field of inter-specialty collaboration to respond
to the socio-demographic changes and challenges of older adults
with severe and life-limiting conditions;

f. Geriatric specialty center refers to a unit or department in a
DOH-retained hospital that offers specialized care to the aging
population, particularly to frail older persons, addressing their
particular conditions and providing specific procedures and
management of cases, requiring specialized training and/or
equipment;


g. Geriatrician refers to a medical doctor who has passed the
necessary training and specialty licensure examination for the
practice of Geriatric Medicine;

h. Gerontology refers to the study of the biological,
psychological, spiritual, social, economic, and the demographic
aspects of the aging process;

i, Home-based healthcare and reablement program refers to a
community-based service that primarily caters to the frail older
persons who have lost or are experiencing problems with
mobility;

j. Integrated delivery of geriatric health services refers to hospital
and community-based medical and psycho-social services
provided to senior citizens by a multidisciplinary team;

k. Multi-disciplinary team refers to a team composed of health
professionals headed by a geriatrician and includes surgeons,
organ-system specialists, nurses, clinical pharmacists,
rehabilitation therapists, nutritionists, dentists, social workers,
caregivers, family members, and patients themselves;

1, People-centered service reters to an approach to geriatric care
that consciously adopts the perspectives of individuals, families,
and communities, and sees them as participants as well as
beneficiaries of trusted health systems that respond to their
needs and preferences in holistic and humane ways;

m. Senior citizen refers to an elderly Filipino who is at least sixty
(60) years old;

n, Sub-acute care refers to care for patients who no longer
require hospitalization, but still need skilled medical care
through rehabilitative medicine. Sub-acute rehabilitation is


recommended when a patient is not functionally able to return
home; and,

o. Transitional care refers to a form of health care in geriatric
medicine designed to ensure coordination and continuity of care
as patients transfer between different locations or different levels
of care, and the safe and effective management of both chronic
and acute illness in older adults.

SECTION 4. National Center for Geriatric Health and
ResearchInstitute. - The National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) is
hereby classified as a teaching, research, and training hospital that shall
specialize in geriatric care and serve as an apex hospital or end-referral
facility for senior citizens in the country. The NCGH shall be renamed as the
National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute (NCGHRI) and
shall be under the direct control and supervision of the DOH. The bed
capacity, service capabilities, healthcare facilities, expansion, organizational
structure, and human resource requirements of the NCGHRI shall be based
on the hospital and human resource development plan to be prepared by the
NCGHRI and approved by the DOH.

SECTION 5. Powers and Functions. ~ To carry out the provisions of
this Act, the NCGHRI shall have the following powers and functions:

a. Serve as an apex hospital or end-referral facility which shall
specialize in geriatric health services;

b. Formulate a hospital development plan which shall be
regularly updated to reflect the expansion and future
development of the NCGHRI;

c. Provide and maintain affordable, quality, and timely people-
centered hospital care through an efficient health service
delivery system for senior citizens;


d. Provide higher and up-to-date geriatric training for
professionals, postgraduates, academics, and allied healthcare
providers, especially from the geriatric specialty centers in the
regions and LGUs, and other government hospitals;

e. Develop and implement cutting-edge research studies on
diseases related to old age with a view to translating research
outcomes into policy and specialized health care solutions and
publish research studies that shall serve as a critical information
resource for the medical and research community, in
coordination with the Philippine Council on Health Research
and Development (PCHRD) and the Institute on Aging of the
National Institutes of Health (I[A-NIH);

f, Conduct and participate in international and local
gerontological research activities;

g. Provide consultancy service and technical assistance in the
setting of standards for geriatric wards in every tertiary level
hospital, nursing home, and residential center catering to the
health and functioning needs of senior citizens, in coordination
with the PCHRD and the I[A-NIH;

h. Develop and maintain a core information hub on geriatrics
and gerontological studies in coordination with the IA-NIH and
concerned offices in the DOH and its attached agencies, such as
the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau and the Knowledge
Management and Information Technology Service;

i, Extend medical services to senior citizens pursuant to the
goals, objectives, and rules of the National Health Insurance
Program and in accordance with Republic Act No. 1223,
otherwise known as the “Universal Health Care Act”;

j. Provide an integrated and effective approach to the delivery of
geriatric health services in collaboration with other government


agencies, local government units (LGUs), and _ other
stakeholders;

k. Conduct specialty training and technical assistance in
collaboration with concerned DOH offices and other relevant
professional organizations;

1. Finance, sponsor, hold, or participate in congresses,
conventions, conferences, seminars, workshops, and training
programs on geriatric health services or related fields in the
Philippines and abroad; and

m. Establish a standardized referral system for psychosocial
services.

SECTION 6. Scope of Services. - The NCGHRI shall provide the
following services:

a. Hospital-based services to ensure the availability of medical
facilities and equipment for senior citizens needing acute and
sub-acute care, geriatric palliative care, transitional and
outpatient care services, and such other necessary services;

b. Community-based services utilizing multidisciplinary team
approaches such as home-based healthcare and reablement
programs, research and external resource outsourcing for
community-based integrated geriatric health services and
trainings necessary for the psycho-social functioning of senior
citizens and their families, in coordination with LGUs;

c. Technical assistance and capacity building in the
establishment and maintenance of nursing homes and
residential care facilities and senior citizens’ wards in
government hospitals pursuant to Republic Act No. 9994,
otherwise known as the "Expanded Senior Citizens Act of 2010";



d. Technical assistance and capacity building in the
establishment of geriatric specialty centers and services to
strengthen the network of geriatric care service providers across
the country and ensure the delivery of quality health services for
senior citizens;

e. Education programs and scholarships to pursue excellence and
the highest level of quality in the practice of the specialized field
of geriatrics and other related fields, including postgraduate
training and short-term courses for medical doctors and other
allied medical health professions, in coordination with the IA-
NIH; and

f, Education programs in geriatrics and gerontology subjects
in undergraduate health and allied professions, including
training of students, as well as postgraduate medical education
of physicians, nurses, allied professionals, pharmacists, dentists,
and social workers. The Geriatric Specialty Fellowship Training,
Program of the NCGHRI shall seek and maintain full
accreditation status in the Philippine College of Geriatric
Medicine. The NCGHRI shall ensure the accessibility of all its
programs and services and take into consideration the special
needs of senior citizens with disabilities. 10

SECTION 7. Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern. - The
Secretary of the DOH shall determine the organizational structure and
staffing pattern of the NCGHRI in accordance with the revised compensation
and position classification system subject to the evaluation and approval of
the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and in compliance with
the civil service laws, rules and regulations.

SECTION 8. Establishment of Geriatric Specialty Centers. -
Geriatric specialty centers are hereby established in DOH regional hospitals,


which shall serve as apex or end-referral hospitals of the health care provider
networks and training and research facilities on geriatric specialty care
services. Geriatric health services shall be available in all government
primary health facilities. The level of geriatric services and corresponding
facilities in specialty centers and their respective health human resource
requirements shall be determined by the DOH, in coordination with
NCGHRI and other stakeholders: Provided, That the standards to be adopted
thereon shall be consistent with the Philippine Health Facility Development
Plan and Section 6 of this Act.

SECTION 9. Categorization of Patients. - The DOH shall ensure
that the NCGHRI shall adopt and enforce a categorization of paying and
non-paying patients. The allocation of beds for non-paying patients shall be
not less than seventy percent (70%) of the total number of hospital beds.

SECTION 10. Income Retention. - All income generated from the
operations of the NCGHRI shall be deposited in an authorized government
depository bank and shall be used to augment the funds allocated for its
maintenance, other operating expenses, and capital outlay requirements,
subject to the guidelines set by the DOH and the DBM.

SECTION u. Privilege. - The NCGHRI may request and receive
assistance from the different agencies, bureaus, offices, or instrumentalities
of the government, including the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, in pursuit of its purposes
and objectives.

SECTION 12. Tax Exemptions. - All donations, endowments,
contributions, grants, and bequests used actually, directly, and exclusively
for and in accordance with the purposes and functions of the NCGHRI shall
be exempt from donor's tax, and the same shail be considered as allowable
deductions from gross income for purposes of computing the taxable income
of the donor, in accordance with the provisions of the National Internal
Revenue Code of 1997, as amended. The NCGHRI shall be exempt from
income tax and customs duty levied by the government and its political


subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities subject to the provisions of the
National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended and Republic Act No.
10863, otherwise known as the “CustomsModernization and Tariff Act.” The
NCGHRI shall avail of the tax expenditure subsidy administered by the Fiscal
Incentives Review Board (FIRB), subject to the provisions of Title XIII (Tax
Incentives) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended,
Executive Order No. 93, as amended, and the General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 13. Coordination with and Assistance from Other
Government Agencies. - The NCGHRI shall collaborate with the National
Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC) in the development of

its programs and services. It may likewise call upon any department, bureau,
office, agency, or instrumentality of the government for assistance, in the
pursuit of the purposes and objectives of this Act.

SECTION 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year’s
appropriation of the DOH. Thereafter, the funding of which shall be
included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SECTION 15. Annual Report. - The NCGHRI shall submit an annual
report to the President of the Philippines, the Senate Committee on Health
and Demography, the House of Representatives Committee on Health, and
the NCSC, on its activities, accomplishments, and recommendations to
further improve the delivery of geriatric health services.

SECTION 16. Transitory Provisions. - In accomplishing
organizational changes and improvements that have to be implemented, the
following transitory provisions shall be complied with:

a. The National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) currently
under the Jose R. Reyes Memorial Medical Center (JRRMMC)
shall be absorbed by NCGHRI including its existing personnel
regardless of status, and all buildings and equipment, fixtures


and furnishings, other assets and liabilities, and current
appropriations;

b. The independence of the NCGHRI from the JRRMMC shall be
fully realized within a period of two (2) years. The DOH shall
ensure that no disruption of service will occur during this
transitory period;

c. The existing officials and employees of NCGH shall continue
to assume the duties of their positions until new appointments
are issued. They shall be placed in the new staffing pattern of the
NCGHRI in accordance with R.A. No. 6656, entitled “An Act to
Protect the Security of Tenure of Civil Service Officers and
Employees in the Implementation of Government
Reorganization” and the rules and regulations governing
reorganization. Officials and employees, including casual and
temporary employees, who shall not be absorbed in the new
staffing pattern due to redundancy shall avail of the
applicable retirement benefits and separation incentives as
provided under existing laws: Provided, That officials and
employees holding permanent appointments shall also be given
the option to be transferred to other units or offices within the
DOH without reduction in rank, status, pay, and benefits;

d. Research grants acquired by the NCGHRI during the
transition shall be utilized solely for their intended purposes and
of the affected units or offices; and

e. Existing contracts and agreements entered into with third
parties prior to the enactment of this Act shall remain valid.

SECTION 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary
of Health shall, in consultation with the Secretary of Budget and
Management, Secretary of Social Welfare and Development, and the


Chairperson of the NCSC, promulgate rules and regulations for the effective
implementation of this Act within ninety (go) days after its effectivity.

SECTION 18. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this
Act is held invalid or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not
affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SECTION 19. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and
regulations, and other issuances or parts thereof, which are contrary to or
inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified
accordingly.

SECTION 20. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general
circulation.

Approved,