Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

183

HOUSE BILL NO.

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE MILAGROS AQUINO - MAGSAYSAY

AN ACT
CONVERTING THE DR. EVA MACARAEG-MACAPAGAL NATIONAL CENTER FOR
GERIATRIC HEALTH UNDER THE JOSE R. REYES MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER
AS THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTE, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, AND APPROPRIATING
FUNDS THEREFOR

EXPLANATORY NOTE

seeks to convert the National Center for Geriatric Health (NCGH) into a corporate
body called “Philippine Center for Geriatric Health” and institutionalize its purpose as a specialty
hospital for geriatric care according to Department of Health (DOH) standards.

Designed to serve as the primary medical facility for senior citizens, NCGH never functioned
as the state-of-the-art geriatric hospital it was envisioned to be duc to lack of resources. While the
building structure itself was built, furnished with the basic and necessary medical tools and equipment,
the required staffing complement of doctors, nurses, and medical technicians, was never complied with.
‘This was due to the fact that its budgetary allocation was dependent on its mother facility, the Jose
Reyes Hospital, run by the Department of Health (DOH). For more than a decade, the NCGH was
never provided a separate and independent budget for its own human resources requirement to enable
it to function as a full-pledged geriatric hospital.

‘The Longitudinal Study on Ageing and Health conducted by Dr. Grace Cruz and Dr. Josefina
Natividad of the University of the Philippines Population Institute (UPP1) confirmed that the country’s
elderly population continues to increase with longer life expectancy and developments in medical
science and technology. And foremost among Filipino senior citizens’ concerns is their health status
and well-being, characterized by degenerative and chronic diseases due to ageing, as well as some
physical impairments and disabilities. As such, the Philippine healthcare system must pro
needs through comprehensive and strategic interventions, including highly-specialized fa
properly trained and skilled medical professionals.

In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly recommended.

HON. MILAGROS AQ! \YSAY


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

TWENTIETH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

nouse pit no. 183

INTRODUCED BY REPRESENTATIVE MILAGROS AQUINO - MAGSAYSAY

SecoudsHweon=

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AN ACT
CONVERTING THE DR. EVA MACARAEG-MACAPAGAL NATIONAL CENTER FOR
GERIATRIC HEALTH UNDER THE JOSE R. REYES MEMORIAL MEDICAL CENTER
AS THE NATIONAL CENTER FOR GERIATRIC HEALTH AND RESEARCH
INSTITUTE, DEFINING ITS POWERS AND FUNCTIONS, 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

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. — 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 senior citizens at affordable cost. Priority shall be given to underprivileged sick and
disabled senior citizens.

To this end, the State shall protect and promote the right to health of senior citizens by ensuring
holistic health services through the establishment of a geriatric specialty hospital and research
institute.

SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act:
(a) Acute care refers to a specialized program that addresses the needs of hospitalized senior

citizens through a multidisciplinary team approach to prevent functional and cognitive
decline;


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(b) Apex or end-referral hospital refers to a hospital that offers specialized services as
determined by the Department of Health (DOH) which is contracted as a stand-alone
facility by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation;

(©) Geriatric health services refer to the medical services or interventions provided by a
multidisciplinary team to senior citizen patients;

(d) Geriatric medicine or Geriatrics refers to the sub-specialty of internal and family medicine
that promotes the health of senior citizens, and assesses, diagnoses and treats a wide range
of conditions, diseases, disat -s, and complexities that affect people as they age:

(©) Geriatric palliative care refers to a specialized medical care that focuses on providing
senior citizens relief from pain and other symptoms of a serious illness, regardless of
diagnosis or stage of disease provided alongside curative and other forms of treatment. It is
a field of inter-specialty collaboration that responds to the sociodemographic changes and
challenges of senior citizens with severe and life-limiting conditions;

(0) Geriatric specialty center refers to a unit or department in a DOH hospital that offers
specialized care to senior citizens, addressing their particular conditions and providing
specific procedures and management of cases requiring specialized training and 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 demographic aspects of the aging process:

() Multidisciplinary team refers to a team composed of health professionals headed by a
geriatrician and comprised of surgeons, organ-system specialists, nurses, clinical
pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists, nutritionists, dentists, social workers, caregivers,
family members and patients;

(i) People-centered service refers to a holistic and humane approach to geriatric care that
adopts the perspectives of individuals, families, and communities, and regards them as
participants and beneficiaries of health systems and services;

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

o

‘ub-acute care refers to care for patients who no longer require hospi
need skilled medical care through rehabilitative medicine; and

(m) Transitional care refers to a form of health care in geriatric medicine designed to ensure
coordination and continuity of care for the safe and effective management of both chronic
and acute illness in senior citizens as they are transferred to different locations or levels
of care.

SEC. 4, National Center for Geriatric Health and Research Institute. ~The Dr. Eva Macaraeg-
Macapagal National Center for Geriatric Health (DEMMNCGH) under the Jose R. Reyes Memorial
Medical Center is hereby converted as a national specialty center to be known as the National Center.
for Geriatric Health and Research Institute (NCGHRI), and shall be under the direct control and
supervision of the DOH.



‘The conversion of the DEMMNCGH shall be fully realized within a period of five (5) years from the
effectivity of this Act: Provided, That the DOH shall ensure that services shall not be disrupted during
the transitory period.

SEC. 5. Scope of Services. — The NCGHRI shall provide the following services:

SEC. 6. Powers and Functio1
the following powers and functions:

(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, outpatient care
and transitional care services;

(b) Specialized clinical, public health, and operations research and training programs with a
multidisciplinary or multi-center approach;

(©) Technical assistance and capacity building in the establishment of geriatric specialty centers
in accordance with Republic Act No. 11959, otherwise known as the “Regional Specialty
Centers Act,” and in geriatric health services in all government primary health facil
hospitals under the management of local government units (LGUs); and

(d) Programs and services for the special needs of senior citizens with disabilities.

~ To carry out the provisions of this Act, the NCGHRI shall have

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

(b) Increase the bed capacity, service capabilities, healthcare facilities, and human resource
requirements of the NCGHRI based on its hospital and human resource development plan
subject to the approval of the DOH;

(©) Provide and maintain people-centered service through an efficient health service delivery
system for senior citizens;

(d) Extend medical services to senior citizens in accordance with the National Health
Insurance Program pursuant to Republic Act No. 11223, otherwise known as the
“Universal Health Care Act”;

(€) Provide an integrated and effective approach in the delivery of geriatric health service in
collaboration with concerned government agencies and stakeholders, and LGUs;

() Finance, sponsor, hold or participate in local and international conventions, conferences,
congresses, seminars, workshops, and training programs on geriatric health or related
fields;

(g) Establish a standardized referral system for all geriatric health service;

(h) Provide higher and up-to-date geriatric training for professionals, postgraduates,
academics, and allied healthcare providers especially from the geriatric specialty centers;

(® Conduct cutting edge research studies on diseases related to old age for the development
of policies, protocols, standards, and solutions for specialized health care;


@) Publish research studies that shall serve as information resource for the medical and
research community in coordination with concemed government offices and relevant
professional organizations;

(k) Conduct and participate in local and international gerontological research activities:
(1) Conduct capacity and capability assessment of the services provided by the NCGHRI;

(m)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 needs of senior citizens, in consultation with the Philippine Councit
for Health Research and Development of the Department of Science and Technology, the
Institute on Aging — National Institutes of Health (IA-NII!) under the University of the
Philippines, and other relevant institutions as may be determined by the NCGHRI;

(n) Provide fellowship training in geriatric medicine;
(0) Develop and maintain a core information hub on geriatrics and gerontological studies in

coordination with the concerned offices of the DOH and its attached agencies, the [A-NIH,
and other relevant institutions as may be determined by the NCGHRI;

(p) Identify and recommend to the DOH possible sites for the relocation of the NCGHRI; and

(@ Study and recommend, in coordination with the Governance Commission for
Government-Owned and -Controlled Corporations, the appropriate steps for the formal
establishment and incorporation of the NCGHRI in accordance with Republic Act
No. 10149, otherwise known as the “GOCC Governance Act of 2011”: Provided, That the
NCGHRI shall remain under the full control and supervision of the DOH, unless Congress
shall provide otherwise,

SEC. 7, Organizational Structure and Staffing Pattern, — The Secretary of the DOI! shall
determine the organizational structure and staffing pattern of the NCGHRI subject to the evaluation
and approval of the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) and in compliance with the civil
service and other pertinent laws, rules and regulations.

SEC. 8. Categorization of Patients. ~The NCGHRI shall enforce a categorization of paying and
non-paying patients and shall ensure the allocation of beds for indigent patients in accordance with
existing laws and guidelines.

SEC. 9. Coordination with and Assistance from Other Government Agencies. ~ The NCGHRI
shall coordinate 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 such as the Philippine Charity Sweepstakes Office and the
Philippine Amusement and Gaming Corporation, for assistance in the pursuit of the purposes and
objectives of this Act.

The Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) shall, in coordination with the DOH
and NCGHRI, provide 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.”



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The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) shall, in coordination with the DOH and NCGHRI,
provide 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 public or private training institutes such as the IA-NIH. The CHED shall also
provide 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, pharmacists, dentists, social workers, and allied professionals.

SEC. 10. Use of Income. — 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 for
its maintenance, other operating expenses, and capital outlay requirements, subject to the guidelines
set by the DOH and the DBM.

SEC. 11, 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 shall be considered as allowable deductions
from gross income for purposes of computing the taxable income of the donors, 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 Intemal
Revenue Code of 1997, as amended and Republic Act No. 10863, otherwise known as the “Customs
Modernization and Tariff Act.”

‘The NCGHRI shall avail of the tax expenditure subsidy administered by the Fiscal Incentives Review
Board, 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.

12, Annual Report. — The NCGHRI shall submit an annual report to the President of the
pines, the Senate Committee on Health and Demography, and the House of Representatives
‘ommittee on Health, on its activities, accomplishments, and recommendations.

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SEC. 13. Transitory Provisions. — To ensure the smooth transition towards the full implementation
of this Act, the following provisions shall apply:

(a) The buildings and equipment, fixtures and furni
DEMMNCGH may be absorbed by the NCGHRI;

ings, other assets and liabilities of the

(b) The current appropriations of the DEMMNCGH may be absorbed by the NCGHRI subject
to the rules and regulations of the Commission on Audit;

(©) The existing officials and employees of DEMMNCGH 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 Republic Act No. 6656, entitled “An Act to

I 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

may 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 appointment shall also be given

5


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

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

SEC. 14, Implementing Rules and Regulations, — Within ninety (90) days from the effectivity of
this Act, the DOH shall, in consultation with the DSWD, CHED, and the NCSC, and other
concerned agencies, promulgate the rules and regulations necessary to carry out the provisions of
this Act.

SEC. 15. 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

SEC. 16. Separability Clause. - \f 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.

SEC. 17. 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.

SEC. 18 Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazeue or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,