Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

First Regular Session
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
6188

House Bill No.

Introduced by the Honorable Precious Hipolito Castelo

EXPLANATORY NOTE

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), coronaviruses are a large family of viruses
found in both animals and humans. Some infect people and are known to cause illness ranging
from the common cold to more severe diseases such as Middle East Respiratory Syndrome
(MERS) and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS).

Just last December 2019, a new strain of coronavirus which has not been previously identified
in humans was detected in Wuhan, China. The new, or “novel” coronavirus, now called 2019
Novel Coronavirus Acute Respiratory Disease (2019-nCoV ARD), shook the world as it
continues to spread at a high rate globally.

At present, there is no hospital in the Philippines that specialize in the treatment of infectious
diseases like the 2019-nCoV ARD. Some hospitals have taken the initiative to establish
makeshift clinics where the infected patients can be admitted. However, there is no
contingency plan in case the number of infected patients increase beyond the capacity of
these makeshift clinics.

Itis the opinion of this Representation that we should be pro-active, and not merely reactive,
when public health is at stake. Thus, it is the intent of this measure to establish a hospital that
would specialize in the treatment of infectious diseases in the country.

State-of-the-art quarantine facilities shall be set up in order to effectively contain the diseases
in a place where it will not spread further. Experts in infectious disease treatment shall be
primarily engaged in the operations of this hospital. Further, the hospital shall also serve as a
repository of all data and base for researches on infectious diseases.

The immediate passage of this bill is most eamestly sough

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Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

First Regular Session
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS

6
House Bill No.

Introduced by the Honorable Precious Hipolito Castelo

AN ACT
ESTABLISHING THE NATIONAL INFECTIOUS DISEASE TREATMENT AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTE 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 "National Infectious Disease
Treatment and Research Institute Act”.

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the 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 people at affordable cost. Towards this
end, the State shall protect the interest and promote the well-being and medical needs of the
Filipino people by establishing a hospital which shall specialize on the treatment of infectious,
contagious, and communicable diseases and pandemics.

‘SEC 3. National Infectious Disease Treatment and Research Institute. - To carry out
the above policy, a hospital is hereby established to be known as the National Infectious
Disease Treatment and Research Institute (NIDTRI).

SEC 4. Objectives. — The Institute shall have the following objectives:

Initiate @ systematic plan for the mobilization of healthcare and security personnel and
resources whenever there is a need to contain a communicable disease outbreak;
‘Administer isolation and quarantine operations by directly coordinating with the Bureau
of Quarantine;

Whenever there is a need to confine a person to the Institute, guarantee safe
transportation and ensure minimum contact with other persons;

Ensure compliance with orders for isolation and restriction of movement of potentially
exposed asymptomatic individuals and isolation of symptomatic individuals;

Upon the discharge of infected persons, decontaminate equipment, supplies, and
personnel;

f) Recommend to the President the imposition of travel restrictions consistent with
disease-specific precautions; and

Be the primary repository of all data and base for researches on infectious diseases.

b)

i)

qd)

e)

9)

SEC 5.The Secretary of Health shall immediately include in the Department's
programs the operationalization of the Institute, the funding of which shall be included in the
annual General Appropriations Act.


SEC. 6. The Secretary of Health shall formulate and disseminate the Implementing
Rules and Regulations of this Act.

SEC. 7. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official
Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation.

Approved,