TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JUL-9 P4:17
SENATE 
S. No. 31 9
Introduced by Senator MANUEL "LITO" M. LAPID
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
Article XIII, Section 11 of the 1987 Philippine Constitution states 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." Likewise, Article XV, Section 4 further declares that 
it is the duty of the family to take care of its elderly members while the State may 
design programs of social security for them.
The Philippines has reached what is considered an ageing population. According 
to the Population Commission, 8.2% of the total population is over 60 years old while 
4.7% or a total of 5 million Filipinos is aged 65 and older by the end of 2018. It is 
projected that the percentage of elderly people (65 and above) in the country will 
most likely grow by 4.9% by year 2020, 5.6% by year 2025, and 6.3% by year 2030.
Part of the emergent trend of an ageing population and the rise of life 
expectancy is the increase in the incidences of age-related communicable and non- 
communicable diseases that require cumulative specialized medical attention, and, in


relation, proves taxing in state health policies, as shown in the study of the Global 
Health and Aging study conducted by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2011.
The common chronic age-related communicable diseases identified in the 
Philippines are hypertension, degenerative osteoarthritis, diabetes mellitus, pulmonary 
tuberculosis, osteoporosis, cardiovascular disease, and pneumonia. Aside from 
common diseases, geriatric syndromes or degenerative diseases such as dementia and 
Alzheimer's disease, hearing impairment, malnutrition, depression, and Chronic Pain 
Syndrome, were identified in the study conducted by Philippine General Hospital last 
2005.
Moreover, the Philippine Statistics Authority reported that 22.1% of the elderly 
population aged 65 years old and above are disabled or in need of increased medical 
attention and care. Nearly a third (31.4%) of older people is living in poverty, which 
greatly diminishes their access to the highly-specialized field of geriatric medical care.
Accessibility of the geriatric wards and specialty services still needs to be 
improved. Survey conducted by Research and Performance Management of the DOH 
- Health Facility Development Bureau showed high proportion of patients are senior 
citizen and low compliance of the government hospitals to provide geriatric health 
services (Napulan, De Roxas, et al., 2019).
Establishing a national hospital specialized in geriatric health will ease the 
double burden of addressing communicable and degenerative diseases, the rise in life 
expectancy and the increase in the ageing population, hospital, whether government 
or private, and community-based health care, should promote active and healthy 
ageing.
Furthermore, as found in research on specialized geriatric care, it will lower the 
average length of hospital stay among elderly patients from 7.3 days to 6.7 days, 
minimize hospital costs to around Fifty Thousand Pesos (PhP 50,000.00) per patient, 
and improve overall care of our senior citizens.
Finally, a hospital specialized in geriatric care can help bridge the persistent 
shortage of geriatricians in the Philippines since it can become a training ground for
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doctors who seek to pursue a specialization in geriatric health. It will also establish 
geriatric health as a viable field of specialty and incentivize new and upcoming doctors 
to become geriatricians.
Thus, this bill seeks to make the country's commitment to Universal Health Care 
more genuinely felt by the elderly population and give our almost ten million senior 
citizens the quality healthcare they rightfully deserve.
In view of the foregoing, early passage of this bill is earnestly requested.
MANUEL "LITO" M. LAPID
Senator


TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
First Regular Session 
)
25 JIJL -9 P 4 :17
SENATE
S. No. 319
Introduced by Senator Manuel "Lito" M. Lapid
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AN ACT
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ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH AND
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RESEARCH INSTITUTE, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS,
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CREATING REGIONAL GERIATRIC SPECIALTY CENTERS IN THE
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DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH-RETAINED HOSPITALS, AND APPROPRIATING
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FUNDS THEREFOR
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines 
in Congress assembled:
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Section 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Geriatric Health Act."
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Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to protect and
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promote the right to health of senior citizens all over the country by ensuring that
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holistic health services are available and accessible to them through the establishment
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of a specialized hospital and research institute as well as geriatric specialty centers in
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the Department of Health (DOH) - retained hospitals in every region.
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Sec. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act:
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a. Acute care refers to a specialized program that addresses the needs of
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hospitalized older adults in a multidisciplinary team approach to prevent
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functional and cognitive decline and to improve outcomes;
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b. Apex or end-referrai hospital refers to a hospital offering specialized
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services as determined by DOH, which is contracted as a stand-alone
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facility by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth);


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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. Geriatricpaiiiative care refers to a 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 speciaity 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 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. Gerontoiogy reters to the study of the biological, psychological, spiritual, 
social, economic, and the demographic aspects of the aging process;
i. 
Home-basedheaithcare andreabiementprogram refer to a community- 
based service which primarily caters to the frail older persons who have 
lost or are experiencing problems with mobility;
j. Integrated deiivery of geriatric heaith services refers to hospital and 
community-based medical and psycho-social services provided to senior 
citizens by a multidisciplinary team;
k. Muiti-discipiinary team refers to a team composed of health 
professionals headed by a geriatrician and includes surgeons, organ- 
system specialists, nurses, clinical pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists.


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nutritionists, dentists, social workers, caregivers, family members and 
patients themselves;
l. 
People-centered service refers 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,
0. 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.
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Sec. 4. National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute. - The
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National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) is hereby classified as a teaching,
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research, and training hospital that shall specialize in geriatric care and serve as an
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apex hospital or end-referral facility for senior citizens in the country. The NCGH shall
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be renamed as the National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute
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(NCGHRI) and shall be under the direct control and supervision of the DOH.
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The bed capacity, service capabilities, healthcare facilities, expansion,
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organizational structure and human resource requirements of the NCGHRI shall be
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based on the hospital and human resource development plan to be prepared by the
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NCGHRI and approved by the DOH.
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Sec. 5. Powers and Functions. - To carry out the provisions of this Act, the
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NCGHRI shall have the following powers and functions:


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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 (lA-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 lA-NIH;
h. Develop and maintain a core information hub on geriatrics and 
gerontological studies in coordination with the lA-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;


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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. 11223, otherwise known as the 
"Universal Health Care Act";
j. 
Provide an integrated and effective approach in 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;
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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.
Sec. 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;
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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 lA-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.
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The Geriatric Specialty Fellowship Training Program of the NCGHRI shall seek
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and maintain full accreditation status in the Philippine College of Geriatric Medicine.
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The NCGHRI shall ensure the accessibility of all its programs and services and
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take into consideration the special needs of senior citizens with disabilities.
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Sec. 7. Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern. - The Secretary of the
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DOH shall determine the organizational structure and staffing pattern of the NCGHRI
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in accordance with the revised compensation and position classification system subject
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to the evaluation and approval of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM)
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and in compliance with the civil service laws, rules and regulations.
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Sec. 8. Establishment of Geriatric Specialty Centers. - Geriatric specia Ity centers
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are hereby established in DOH regional hospitals, which shall serve as apex or end-
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referral hospitals of the health care provider networks and training and research
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facilities on geriatric specialty care services. Geriatric health services shall be available
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in all government primary health facilities.
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The level of geriatric services and corresponding facilities in specialty centers
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and their respective health human resource requirements shall be determined by the
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DOH, in coordination with NCGHRI and other stakeholders: Provided, That the
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standards to be adopted thereon shall be consistent with the Philippine Health Facility
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Development Plan and Section 6 of this Act.


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Sec. 9. Categorization of Patients. - The DOH shall ensure that the NCGHRI
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shall adopt and enforce a categorization of paying and non-paying patients. The
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allocation of beds for non-paying patients shall be not less than seventy percent (70%)
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of the total number of hospital beds.
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Sec. 10. Income Retention. - All income generated from the operations of the
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NCGHRI shall be deposited in an authorized government depository bank and shall be
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used to augment the funds allocated for its maintenance, other operating expenses
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and capital outlay requirements, subject to the guidelines set by the DOH and the
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DBM.
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Sec. 11. Priviiege. - The NCGHRI may request and receive assistance from the
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different agencies, bureaus, offices or instrumentalities of the government, including
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the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and Philippine Amusement and Gaming
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Corporation, in pursuit of its purposes and objectives.
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Sec. 12. Tax Exemptions. - All donations, endowments, contributions, grants
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and bequests used actually, directly and exclusively for and in accordance with the
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purposes and functions of the NCGHRI shall be exempt from donor's tax, and the
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same shall be considered as allowable deductions from gross income for purposes of
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computing the taxable income of the donor, in accordance with the provisions of the
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National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended.
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The NCGHRI shall be exempt from income tax and customs duty levied by the
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government and its political subdivisions, agencies and instrumentalities subject to the
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provisions of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended and Republic
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Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the "Custom Modernization and Tariff Act."
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The NCGHRI shall avail of the tax expenditure subsidy administered by the
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Fiscal Incentives Review Board (FIRB), subject to the provisions of Title XIII (Tax
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Incentives) of the National Internal Revenue Code of 1997, as amended, Executive
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Order No. 93, as amended, and the General Appropriations Act.
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Sec. 13. Coordination with and Assistance from Other Government Agencies. -
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The NCGHRI shall collaborate with the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC)
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in the development of its programs and services. It may likewise call upon any
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department, bureau, office, agency, or instrumentality of the government for
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assistance, in the pursuit of the purposes and objectives of this Act.
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Sec. 14. Appropriations. - The amount necessary for the implementation of this
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Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriation of the DOH. Thereafter,
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the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
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Sec. 15. Annuai Report. - The NCGHRI shall submit an annual report to the
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President of the Philippines, the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, the
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House of Representatives Committee on Health, and the NCSC, on its activities,
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accomplishments and recommendations to further improve the delivery of geriatric
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health services.
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Sec. 16. Transitory Provisions. - In accomplishing organizational changes and
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improvements that have to be implemented, the following transitory provisions shall
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be complied with:
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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
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to redundancy shall avail of the applicable retirement benefits and
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separation incentives as provided under existing laws: Provided, That
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officials and employees holding permanent appointment shall also be
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given the option to be transferred to other units or offices within the
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DOH without reduction in rank, status, pay and benefits;
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d. Research grants acquired by the NCGHRI during the transition shall be
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utilized solely for their intended purposes and of the affected units or
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offices; and
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e. Existing contracts and agreements entered into with third parties prior
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to the enactment of this Act shall remain valid.
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Sec. 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary of Health shall,
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in consultation with the Secretary of Budget and Management, Secretary of Social
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Welfare and Development, and the Chairperson of the NCSC, promulgate rules and
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regulations for the effective implementation of this Act within ninety (90) days after
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its effectivity.
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Sec. 18. Separability Clause. - If any part or provision of this Act is held invalid
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or unconstitutional, the remaining parts or provisions not affected shall remain in full
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force and effect.
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Sec. 19. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules, and regulations,
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and other issuances or parts thereof, which are contrary to or inconsistent with this
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Act are hereby repealed, amended, or modified accordingly.
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Sec. 20. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
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publication in the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
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Approved,