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NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session May
288 < ] VS
HOUSE BILL NO. (poe
Introduced by: Hon. Keith Micah “Atty. Mike” D.L. Tan
AN ACT

AUTHORIZING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH) TO SET AND APPROVE THE
BED CAPACITY OF ALL DOH HOSPITALS

EXPLANATORY NOTE

This bill, which was approved by the House and transmitted to the Senate during the
18th Congress, seeks to address the congestion of patients in public hospitals by authorizing
the Department of Health (DOH) to increase the bed capacity of its retained hospitals and
allowing it to promulgate guidelines that will be used in evaluating and approving changes in
bed capacity. It authorizes the DOH to increase the bed capacity and to right-size the
authorized bed capacity of its retained hospitals, as necessary.

With the devolution of health services, there are now only 70 DOH-retained public
hospitals nationwide, of which 51 are considered general hospitals while 19 are specialty
hospitals. These hospitals complement the devolved district and provincial hospitals, as well as
private hospitals, in providing health care services to millions of Filipinos.

Presently, a DOH hospital can only increase its bed capacity through legislation. As
such, adjusting the bed capacity of a public hospital to be able to better serve patients,
especially the poor, has to compete with thousands of bills in Congress and more often than
not, these do not get approved or once approved, the need has already changed.

By allowing the DOH to administratively set and approve the authorized bed capacity of
its hospitals, we remove one barrier that impedes the efficient delivery of health service.

It is for these reasons that approval of this measure is earnestly sought.
7 ae~

Keith Micah “Atty. Mike” D.L. Tan
4th District, Quezon


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City

NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session

HOUSE BILL NO. 288

Introduced by: Hon. Keith Micah “Atty. Mike” D.L. Tan

AN ACT
AUTHORIZING THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH) TO SET AND APPROVE THE
BED CAPACITY OF ALL DOH HOSPITALS

Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress
assembled:

SECTION 1. This Act shall be known as the “DOH Hospital Bed Capacity Rationalization
Act.”

SEC. 2. This Act shall streamline the process for approving changes in the authorized
bed capacities of all Department of Health (DOH) hospitals.
SEC. 3. - Authority is hereby granted to the DOH to adjust and approve the authorized bed
capacities of all DOH hospitals. Thereafter, the DOH shall, through an administrative order,
determine the bed capacities of DOH government hospitals, subject to specific guidelines that
shall be issued and promulgated, within three (3) months after the enactment of this Act.

SEC. 4. The DOH shall provide Congress, through the Committee on Health of the
House of Representatives and the Committee on Health and Demography of the Senate, an
annual report of hospitals with approved bed capacity, along with the necessary funding
requirements.

SEC. 5. The Secretary of Health shall include in the Department’s programs the funding
requirements for the increase in bed capacity of each of the hospital in accordance with the
Philippine Hospital Development Plan and the Modernization/Development Plan of each
hospital, the funding of which shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.

SEC. 6. The DOH shall formulate the rules and regulations to implement this Act within
ninety (90) days of its effectivity.

SEC. 7. All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations, or parts thereof which
are inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed, amended or modified accordingly.

SEC. 8. This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in the Official
Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.

Approved,