Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. _______ 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by HONORABLE ERNESTO “ERNIX” M. DIONISIO, JR. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT REQUIRING ALL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS, MEDICAL 
CENTERS, CLINICS, INFIRMARIES AND PUERICULTURE CENTERS TO GIVE 
FREE MEDICAL AND DENTAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIGENT CHILDREN 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Section 11, Article XIII of the 1987 Constitution states, “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. There shall be priority for the needs of the underprivileged sick, 
elderly, disabled, women, and children. The State shall endeavor to provide free 
medical care to paupers.” 
Free access to medical and dental care, especially to the indigent, remains 
scarce, save for good Samaritans who continue to reach out to the underprivileged. In 
line with the aforementioned, this bill seeks to introduce measures to address the 
inadequacies in patient care for those most in need.   
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is sought. 
October 7, 2022
4:44 pm
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Republic of the Philippines 
House of Representatives 
Quezon City, Metro Manila 
NINETEENTH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
HOUSE BILL No. _______ 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
Introduced by HONORABLE ERNESTO “ERNIX” M. DIONISIO, JR. 
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 
AN ACT REQUIRING ALL GOVERNMENT AND PRIVATE HOSPITALS, MEDICAL 
CENTERS, CLINICS, INFIRMARIES AND PUERICULTURE CENTERS TO GIVE 
FREE MEDICAL AND DENTAL ASSISTANCE TO INDIGENT CHILDREN 
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
SECTION 1. Title. – This Act shall be known as "The Indigent Children Free 
Medical and Dental Service Act" 
SECTION. 2. Declaration of Policy. – It is the declared policy of the State to 
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. There shall be priority for the needs of the under-privileged, 
sick, elderly, disabled, women, and children. Towards this end, the State shall uphold 
the right to health of every child by providing for all possible assistance it could provide 
to children especially those who are unfortunate to have no means of support or have 
no one to support them. 
SECTION. 3. Indigent Children. – For purposes of this Act, an indigent child 
shall refer to an unemancipated child below eighteen (18) years of age who have no 
visible means of support or whose parents or guardians have no means of providing 
for their immediate medical and dental needs. 
SECTION. 4. Duty of the DSWD and DOH. – The Department of Social 
Welfare and Development (DSWD) and the Department of Health (DOH) shall be 
tasked with the primary responsibility of implementing the provisions of this Act. For 
this purpose, the DSWD shall promulgate the necessary guidelines in order to 
determine if a child in need of medical and/or dental service may be considered 
indigent, taking into account the following factors: 
1. Age of the child;
2. Financial condition of the family;
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3. Degree of deprivation of parental care and support; and  
4. Inability of his parents to exercise parental authority.  
The DOH, on the other hand, shall coordinate and establish the necessary 
mechanisms and regulations to govern both government and private hospitals, 
medical centers, clinics, infirmaries and puericulture centers in the implementation of 
this Act. The DSWD and DOH shall have the authority to promulgate the necessary 
rules and regulations for the purpose of carry into effect the provisions of this Act.  
SECTION 5. Free Medical and Dental Services. - All government and private 
hospitals, medical centers, clinics, infirmaries and puericulture centers duly licensed 
to operate as such, are hereby required to render medical and dental services to 
indigent children, regardless of whether or not they are in danger of dying and/or may 
have suffered physical injuries requiring immediate medical attention.  
SECTION 6. Incentives for Private Hospital, Medical Center, Clinic, 
Infirmary and/or Puericulture Centers. – The expenses and losses of earnings 
incurred by a private hospital, medical center, clinic, infirmary or puericulture center, 
or by an individual physician or dentists, for medicine, facilities and services extended 
to the care and treatment of an indigent child as required herein, in the amount not 
exceeding Five hundred thousand pesos (P500,000.00) per year, shall be considered 
deductible expenses and losses for income tax purposes, which may be carried over 
for a period of five (5) years. To ensure compliance with the provisions of this Act, all 
indigent children treated by private hospitals, medical centers, clinics, infirmaries or 
puericulture centers shall secure a certification from the social worker assigned to the 
hospital, medical center, clinic, infirmary or puericulture center. The Certification shall 
contain the following information:  
1. Name of patient;  
2. That the patient is indigent and supporting proof thereof, such as, but not 
limited to, a certificate of indigency from the appropriate barangay;  
3. Service/s rendered to the patient;  
4. Cost of such service/s based on the existing price list of the hospital, 
medical center, clinic, infirmary or puericulture center at the time of 
treatment; and  
5. Attestation from the social worker that all information contained therein 
are true and correct to his/her knowledge.  
SECTION 7. Penal Clause. – Any hospital director, administrator, officer-in-
charge, physician or dentist in a hospital, medical center, clinic, infirmary or 
puericulture center who shall refuse or fail without good cause to render the 
appropriate medical and dental services pursuant to this Act, after the child has been 
brought to his/her attention; or any nurse, midwife, medical or dental attendant who 
shall refuse to extend the appropriate assistance, subject to existing rules, or neglects 
to notify or call the attention of a physician or dentist in attendance, shall be punished 
with imprisonment of at least one (1) year, or a fine of not more than One hundred fifty 
thousand pesos (P150,000.00), or both fine and imprisonment, at the sound discretion 
of the court. The penalty herein imposed shall not prejudice any administrative 
sanctions that may be imposed by law.  


SECTION 8. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is 
declared void and unconstitutional, the remaining portions or provisions hereof shall 
not be affected by such declaration.  
SECTION 9. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, orders, rules and 
regulations, other issuances, or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this 
Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly. 
SECTION 10. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days 
after its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general 
circulation. 
Approved,