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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill  No._____ 
Introduced by: Congressman BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR. 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING APEX HOSPITALS IN EVERY REGION OF THE COUNTRY 
AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
No less than the 1987 Constitution specifically provides under Article II, 
Section 15 that, “The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and 
instill health consciousness among them”. 
Additionally, of equal significance are pertinent provisions under Article XIII on 
Social Justice and Human Rights, which enumerate the declared responsibility of the 
State on health, to wit: 
l.
Sec. 12. 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 an 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.”
2.
Sec. 12. To “establish and maintain an effective food and drug regulatory
system and undertake appropriate health, manpower development, and
research, responsive to the country's health needs and problems;” and
3.
Sec. 13. To “establish a special agency for disabled persons for their
rehabilitation, self-development, and self-reliance, and their integration into
the mainstream of society.”
The Philippines, a nation with a growing population and diverse healthcare needs, is 
facing a critical challenge: the inadequacy of hospital facilities. Despite progress in 
various sectors, the healthcare infrastructure in the country struggles to keep pace 
with the rising demands.  
Moreover, according to a news article, the one major fault of our health system that 
COVID made deathly obvious is the inadequacy of our health infrastructure. We saw 
August 5, 2025
12:07 pm
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it in Metro Manila, where COVID patients have died in hospital driveways or tents 
because the emergency rooms and ICUs had no beds to spare. 
If the health infrastructure is bad in NCR, you can imagine how it is in the countryside. 
Our government has simply neglected to invest in hospitals and health centers for 
decades. In some areas, it is said that people live and die without seeing a doctor or 
any medical personnel.1 
Sadly, half of Filipinos do not have access to a nearby primary care facility or 
one that patients can reach within 30 minutes, according to the Department of Health. 
The Philippines has only 2,593 rural health units. Under the Philippine Health Facility 
Development Plan 2020-2040, the DOH seeks to double the facilities so all Filipinos 
can have access to primary care in just half an hour.2 
For the foregoing reasons, the passage of the instant bill is earnestly sought. 
BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR. 
1 https://www.philstar.com/business/2021/04/12/2090413/build-health-infrastructure 
2https://www.cnnphilippines.com/news/2021/4/29/primary-health-care-facility-access-philippines.html 


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Republic of the Philippines 
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
Quezon City 
TWENTIETH CONGRESS 
First Regular Session 
House Bill  No._____ 
Introduced by: Congressman BIENVENIDO M. ABANTE, JR. 
AN ACT 
ESTABLISHING APEX HOSPITALS IN EVERY REGION OF THE COUNTRY 
AND PROVIDING 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 “Apex Hospitals Act 
of 2025.” 
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the State to adopt an integrated 
and comprehensive approach to health development, which shall make health 
services available, accessible, and affordable for all. To this end, reforms shall be 
introduced to the Philippine health delivery system to achieve universal health care 
for Filipinos through the upgrading of facilities that shall transform regional hospitals 
into functioning apex hospitals and the establishment of new apex hospitals in 
strategic areas of the country. 
SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. - As used in this Act: 
(a)
Anatomic and clinical pathology laboratory system - refers to a facility for the
diagnosis of diseases through laboratory testing of blood and other body fluids, 
tissues, and the microscopic evaluation of individual cells. The laboratory testing shall 
cover the following areas: 
1)
Anatomic 
pathology, 
which 
includes
histopathology, 
cytopathology, and electron microscopy; and,
2)
Clinical pathology, which includes clinical microbiology, clinical
chemistry, hematology, blood bank, and molecular diagnostics or
DNA testing.
(b)
Angiogram - refers to a diagnostic procedure that outlines blood vessels,
usually arteries, in various areas in the body to identify narrowing of or blockages in 
the arteries in the body. 
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(c) 
Apex Hospital - refers to an end-referral hospital offering specialized 
services in accordance with this Act, and is contracted as a stand-alone facility by the 
Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth). 
(d) 
Basic emergency care - refers to the response to a situation where there is 
urgently required medical care and attention, and shall include procedures required 
for initial diagnosis, use of equipment, and supplies in sufficiently addressing the 
emergency situation, considering the welfare of the patient. It also includes the 
necessary medical procedures and treatment administered to a woman in active labor 
to ensure the safe delivery of the newborn.  
(e) 
Computed tomography (CT) scan - refers to an X-ray image that is 
produced by applying tomography, a technique wherein a computer controls the 
motion of the X-ray source and detectors, and processes the data to produce the image. 
The detailed images of internal organs obtained by this type of sophisticated X-ray 
device can reveal anatomic details of internal organs that cannot be seen in 
conventional X-rays. 
(f) 
Dialysis - refers to the process of removing waste products and excess 
fluid from the body. Dialysis is necessary when the kidneys are not able to adequately 
filter the blood. 
(g) 
Dialysis facility system - refers to a facility that provides treatment for 
chronic kidney disease. 
(h) 
High-risk pregnancy unit (HRPU) - refers to a unit in the hospital where 
women with complications arising from pregnancy are confined, and whose 
treatment requires constant supervision or further investigation and assessment. The 
unit is operated by experts such as perinatologists, obstetricians, and pediatricians, 
with the assistance of other specialists. It is a fully equipped obstetric intensive care 
unit (ICU) that can handle high-risk cases, including high-risk neonates. 
(i) 
Intensive care unit (ICU) - refers to a hospital unit where patients 
requiring close monitoring, continuous attention, and intensive or critical care are 
confined. An ICU contains highly technical monitoring devices and equipment with 
specially trained personnel for critical care. 
(j) 
Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) - refers to a procedure that uses a 
strong magnetic field and radio waves to capture detailed images of the organs and 
tissues within the body. 
(k) 
Mammogram - refers to an X-ray test to visualize normal and abnormal 
structures within the breasts. 
(l) 
Medical specialist - refers to a doctor of medicine who practices and has 
expertise in a specific branch of medicine. 


 
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(m) 
Neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) - refers to a hospital unit containing a 
variety of mechanical devices and special equipment for the care and management of 
premature or preterm and seriously ill newborn babies. The unit is comprised of 
neonatologists, pediatric subspecialists, and nurses who are highly trained in the 
management of the medical and surgical conditions of the newborn. 
(n) 
Regional government hospital - refers to a hospital operated and 
maintained, either partially or wholly, by the national government or by any 
department, division, board, or other agency thereof. 
(o) 
Rehabilitation care facility system - refers to a hospital facility that provides 
specialized medical care and/or rehabilitation services to injured, sick, or disabled 
patients, which includes speech therapy and physical rehabilitation. 
SEC. 4. Coverage. - This Act shall apply to regional hospitals whose service 
capacities are as general hospitals with at least five hundred (500) beds, and which 
have been identified by the Department of Health (DOH) to have full potential to 
operate as apex hospitals based on the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan 
(PHFDP).  
SEC. 5. Apex Hospital Modernization Program. - Within five (5) years from the 
effectivity of this Act, all the DOH regional hospitals described in Section 4 shall be 
upgraded or established to have minimum functional capacities of apex hospitals that 
are at par with international health care institutions that provide quality medical 
services. To achieve this goal, there shall be an Apex Hospital Modernization Program 
for the establishment, development, and enhancement of the physical facilities, 
equipment, and instruments, and service delivery of all the apex hospitals, including 
the following: 
a) 
Physical Facilities, Equipment, and Instruments. - At a minimum, all 
apex hospitals shall operate and maintain the following physical facilities, complete 
with the necessary equipment and instruments, including: 
1. 
Ambulatory Surgical Clinic; 
2. 
Anatomic and Clinical Laboratory; 
3. 
Blood Station; 
4.  
Dialysis Facility; 
5. 
General Intensive Care Unit; 
6. 
High Risk Pregnancy Unit; 
7. 
Isolation Facilities;  
8. 
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit; 
9. 
 Nuclear Medicine Facility; 


 
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10. 
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Facility; 
11. 
Psychiatry Facility; 
12. 
Radiologic Facilities such as X-Ray, CT Scan, Mammogram, MRI, ECG, 
Angiogram, Ultrasound, and others; 
13. 
Surgical Facility and Maternity Facility; and 
14. 
Other necessary medical facilities as may be identified by the DOH. 
All the facilities enumerated herein shall have competent and trained nurses, 
therapists, medical technicians, and other ancillary and support staff. 
b) 
Service Delivery. - All apex hospitals shall offer services for all kinds of 
illnesses, diseases, injuries, or deformities. It shall have certified and eligible medical 
specialists to facilitate timely, efficient, affordable, and accessible diagnosis and 
treatment for the following areas: 
1. 
Clinical Services 
a. 
Family Medicine; 
b. 
Internal Medicine; 
c. 
Obstetrics and Gynecology; 
d. 
Pediatrics; and, 
e. 
Surgery. 
2. 
Basic Emergency Care Services 
3. 
At least one medical specialist in any of the following areas, to be 
determined by the DOH based on the burden of disease in the region: 
a. 
Cardiology; 
b. 
Neurology; 
c. 
Oncology; 
d. 
Pathology; 
e. 
Pulmonology; 
f. 
Psychiatry; 
g. 
Rehabilitation Medicine; 
h. 
Urology; and 
i. 
Other specialists as determined by the DOH.  


 
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c) 
Teaching and training hospital. Within three (3) years from the 
effectivity of this Act, all apex hospitals shall be expanded as teaching and training 
hospitals with accredited residency training programs for physicians in the four (4) 
major specialties, namely, Medicine, Pediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynecology, and 
Surgery. 
The secretary of the DOH shall determine the additional positions required for 
the purpose in accordance with the revised compensation and position classification 
system, subject to the evaluation and approval of the Department of Budget and 
Management and in compliance with the civil service laws, rules, and regulations. 
SEC. 6. Inventory and Audit of Hospitals. - An inventory and audit of the physical 
facilities, equipment, and instruments, as well as the personnel of the regional 
hospitals, shall be conducted within one hundred eighty (180) days from the 
effectivity of this Act, to determine the present classification of the respective regional 
hospitals based on their functional capacity. The result of the inventory and audit shall 
be the basis of the plan for each apex hospital. The establishment of apex hospitals 
shall be in areas where they are most needed. 
The DOH shall conduct an annual inventory and audit of Apex hospitals for 
their continuous development and to determine the need to establish new ones, in line 
with the Apex Hospital Modernization Program. 
SEC. 7. Annual Report. - Two (2) years from the effectivity of this Act and every 
year thereafter, the DOH shall submit an annual report on the Apex Hospital 
Modernization Program to the Congress of the Philippines, through the Committee 
on Health of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Health and 
Demography of the Philippine Senate. 
SEC. 8. Appropriations. - The initial amount 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. 
SEC. 9. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The Secretary of the DOH shall 
issue the necessary rules and regulations within ninety (90) days after the effectivity 
of this Act. 
SEC. 10. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act shall be held 
unconstitutional or invalid, the remaining provisions which are not affected thereby 
shall continue to be in full force and effect. 
SEC. 11. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and 
regulations, and other issuances, or parts thereof, contrary to or inconsistent with this 
Act are hereby modified, amended, or repealed accordingly. 
SEC. 12. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its 
publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. 


 
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Approved,