FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
8 
JUL 22 All :I 0 
Introduced by Senator JUAN MIGUEL F. ZUBlRl 
EXPLANATORY NOTE 
Over the years, a growing number of Filipino medical practitioners are going 
abroad to take on other professions, such as the nursing profession. With more doctors 
leaving the Philippines to seek more profitable employment abroad, our nation has been 
left with a dangerously low number of qualified medical personnel. Philippine Medical 
Association (PMA) figures reveal that since 2001, an estimated 5,040 physicians left the 
country as nurses. In 2003 to 2004, more than 2,700 physicians took the Philippine 
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Board of Nursing Licensure examinations. This exodus of our Filipino medical 
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practitioners w;1s confirmed by the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) in 
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its ' annual report where they indicated that health care professionals continue to 
dominate the number of professionals leaving \he Philippines every year. 
Compounding the personal economic considerations of each doctor who seek 
greener pasture abroad are the prevailing political instability and the apparent lack of 
commitment 00 the part of the government to prioritize the health care system in the 
country. Undeniably, the health sector continues to receive one of the lowest allocations 
under the annual appropriations of the government. 
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According to a group called Health Alliance for Democracy, the budgetary 
allocation for health care services in the Philippines is at the level of 3.5% of the GNP, 
below the 5% of GNP as recommended by the World Health Organization. This could 
only mean that fewer people could avail of the services of government doctors and 
health professionals. This also meant budget cuts for government-run hospitals and 
stoppage of various health programs. 
Consequently, forty towns out of around 1,500 towns in the country, are without 
doctors to serve the medical needs of the people, according to the figures from the 
Philippine Hospital Association (PHA). Some 118 hospitals also dropped out from the 
roster of the PHA for their failure to renew or re-activate their membership as 
hospitals. From 2001 to 2004, 300 hospitals have remained inactive because the 
hospital has been turned merely into a clinic, or the hospital has been turned into or 
converted into a business facility not related to health care, and some simply did not 
have medical workers. 


Thus, it is incumbent upon the government to take the necessary steps to 
revitalize, develop and sustain the practice of medicine here in the Philippines. There is 
an urgent need to update the existing Medical Act of 1959 that has been the standard 
reference in the practice of medicine. 
This proposed measure seeks to enact a new Physicians Act that will govern the 
regulation of the education, licensing and the practice of medicine by physicians here in 
the Philippines. It is not only enough to address their economic concerns by increasing 
their pay and remuneration but as the government thus recognizes the very crucial role 
of physicians in the national health care system, it is also essential that an environment 
be provided for them where they can further cultivate and enhance their skills and 
expertise thereby upgrading the standards by which their practice shall be measured. 
In view thereof, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought. 
MIGUEL F. ZUBlRl 


FOURTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
) 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) 
Second Regular Session 
) 
SENATE 
Introduced by Senator JUAN MIGUEL F. ZUBlRl 
AN ACT 
REGULATING THE EDUCATION AND LICENSURE OF PHYSICIANS AND THE 
PRACTICE OF MEDICINE IN THE PHILIPPINES, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE 
REPUBLIC ACT No. 2382, AS AMENDED, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES 
Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled: 
ARTICLE I 
GENERAL PROVISIONS 
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SEC. 1. Title. - This Act shall be known as the "Physicians Act of 2008" 
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SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - The State recognizes the vital role of physicians 
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in nation-building and, towards this end, promotes the sustained development of a pool 
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of physicians whose competence shall be certified through honest and credible 
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licensure examinations and whose standards of professional service and practice shall 
be at par with internationally recognized ethics and conduct. 
SEC. 3. Objectives. - This Act shall govern: 
(a) The standardization, upgrading, and regulation of medicine courses including 
internship training; 
(b) The examination for registration and licensure of Physicians; 
(c) The supervision, control and regulation of the practice of medicine; 
(d) The integration of the medical profession; and, 
(e) The development of the professional competence of physicians through 
continuing professional education in accordance with the guidelines set by the 
Professional Regulation Commission. 
SEC. 4. Enforcement. - For the purpose of implementing the provisions of this 
Act, there shall be created the following: the Council on Medical Education, hereinafter 
referred to as the Council, under the administrative control and supervision of the 
Commission on Higher Education (CHED); and, the Professional Regulatory Board of 
Medicine, hereinafter referred to as the Board, under the administrative supervision and 


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control of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), hereinafter referred to as the 
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Commission. 
ARTICLE II 
COUNCIL ON MEDICAL EDUCATION 
SEC. 5. Composition of the Council on Medical Education. - There shall be 
created the Council on Medical Education which shall be composed of the following: 
(a) Chairman of the Commission on Higher Education, or hislher duly authorized 
representative, as Chairman; 
(b) the Secretary of the Department of Health, or his/her duly authorized 
representative, as member; 
(c) the Chairman of the Professional Regulatory Board For Medicine, or hislher 
duly authorized representative, as member; 
representative, as member; and, 
(d) the President of the Philippine Medical Association, or hislher authorized 
(e) the President of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges, or hidher 
duly authorized representative, as member. 
SEC. 6. Functions and Duties. - The Council on Medical Education shall have 
the following functions and duties: 
(a) To determine and prescribe requirements for admission into a recognized 
College of Medicine in accordance with the guidelines issued by the CHED; 
(b) To determine and prescribe requirements for minimum physical facilities of 
colleges of Medicine, to wit: buildings, including hospitals, equipment and 
supplies, apparatus, instruments, appliances, laboratories, bed capacity for 
instruction purposes, operating and delivery rooms, facilities for out-patient 
services, and other equipment used for didactic and practical instruction in 
accordance with modern trends; 
(c) To determine and prescribe the minimum number and the minimum 
qualifications of teaching personnel including student-to-teacher ratio: 
(d) To determine and prescribe the minimum required curriculum including 
(e) To authorize the implementation of innovative and medical curricula in a 
medical school that has exceptional faculty and instrumental facilities. Such 
an innovative curriculum may include admission and graduation requirements 
other than those prescribed in this Act: Provided, That only exceptional 
students shall be enrolled in the innovative curriculum; 
internship leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine; 
(f) To select, determine and approve hospitals or some departments of the 
hospitals for training which comply with the minimum specific physical 
facilities as provided in subparagraph (b) hereof; and, 
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(9) To promulgate, prescribe and enforce the necessary rules and regulations for 
the proper implementation of the foregoing functions. 
SEC. 7. Compensation and Travel Expenses. - The Chairman, members and 
secretary of the Council shall receive reasonable per diems for every meeting attended: 
Provided, That the number of meetings shall not exceed four times in a month. They 
shall likewise be entitled to travelling expenses in connection with their official duties. 
The grant of per diems and travelling expenses shall be at rates in accordance with 
existing accounting and auditing rules and regulations. 
SEC. 8. Minimum Required Course. - Students seeking admission to a medical 
course must have a bachelor's degree in science or arts. The said medical course 
leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine shall be for five (5) years inclusive of clinical 
clerkship and internship and shall consist of the following subjects: Anatomy and 
Histology; Physiology; Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; Pharmacology and 
Therapeutics; General Pathology; Clinical Pathology, Microbiology and Parasitology; 
Internal Medicine; Neurology and Psychiatry; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pediatrics 
and Nutrition; Surgery, Ophthalmology and; Otorhinolaryngology: Preventive Medicine 
and Public Health; Legal Medicine, Medical Jurisprudence, Medical Ethics and 
Economics: Provided, That, the Council is authorized to modify, rearrange, add, 
recluster, and revise the above-mentioned subjects as the needs and the demands of 
development in the medical profession may require. 
SEC. 9. Admission Requirements. - The College of Medicine may admit any 
student who has not been convicted by final judgment by any court of any criminal 
offense involving moral turpitude and who presents the following: 
(a) a record showing completion of a bachelor's degree in science or arts; 
(b) a certificate of good moral character issued by two (2) former professors in 
the college offering the pre-medicine course(s); and, 
(c) an authenticated birth certificate. 
Nothing in this Act shall be construed to inhibit any College of Medicine from 
establishing, in addition to the requirements specified in the paragraph, other 
requirements that may be deemed necessary for admission. 
For the purpose of this Act, the term "College of Medicine" shall mean to include 
faculty of medicine, institute of medicine, school of medicine or other similar institution, 
offering a complete medical course leading to the degree of Doctor of Medicine or its 
equivalent course obtained abroad. 
Every College of Medicine must keep complete records of enrollment, grades, 
graduates and must publish each year a catalogue stating the following information: 
(1) date of publication; 
(2) calendar of academic year: 
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(3) faculty roll indicating whether on full or part time basis; 
(4) requirements for admission; 
(5) grading system; 
(6) requirements for promotion; 
(7) requirements for graduation; 
(8) curriculum and description of course by department; and, 
(9) number of students enrolled in each class in the preceding year. 
ARTICLE 111 
THE PROFESSIONAL REGULATORY BOARD FOR MEDICINE 
SEC. I O .  Composition of the Board. - There is hereby created a Professional 
Regulatory Board for Medicine, hereinafter referred to as the Board, under the 
administrative control and supervision of the Professional Regulation Commission, 
hereinafter referred to as the Commission. The Board shall he composed of a Chairman 
and six (6) members to be appointed by the President of the Philippines from among 
three (3) recommendees for each position, chosen and ranked by the Commission from 
a list of five (5) nominees for each position submitted by the integrated arid accredited 
professional organization. The Board shall be organized not later than six (6) months 
from the effectivity of this Act. 
SEC. 11. Powers and Duties of the Board - The Board shall exercise executive 
or administrative, rule-making and quasi-judicial powers in carrying ont the provisions of 
this Act. It shall be vested with the following specific powers, functions, duties and 
responsibilities: 
(a) Supervise and regulate the practice of medicine in the Philippines; 
(b) Determine and evaluate the qualifications of the applicants for registration, 
with or without the Physician Licensure Examination, and for the purpose of 
the issuance of special permits; 
(c) Undertake the necessary preparations for the conduct of the Physician 
Licensure Examination, in relation to Section 19 hereof such as prescribing 
the syllabi of the subjects and their relative weights for the licensure 
examinations; formulating, modifying or adopting test questions and 
depositing them in a test question hank; drawing the test questions at random 
through a computerized process; 
(d) Conduct walk-in examinations, if practicable; 
(e) Correct and rate the examinations papers and submit the examination results 
to the Commission within the period provided for by the rules of the 
Commission; 
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(f) Prescribe, amend or revise the requirements for the subjects in the Physician 
Licensure Examination and their relative weights subject to the approval of 
the Commission; 
(9) Register successful examinees in the Physician ,Licensure Examination and 
issue the corresponding certificates of registration; 
(h) Issue special or temporary permits to foreign physicians with highly 
specialized skills which no Filipino possesses, as certified by the Department 
of Health and the Department of Labor and Employment, to practice medicine 
for specific projects and for a specific duration of time; 
(i) Look into the conditions affecting the practice of medicine, adopt measures 
for the enhancement of the profession and the maintenance of a high 
professional, technical, and ethical standards; 
(j) Recommend to CHED the opening or closure of a program of Medicine and 
conduct ocular inspection of places where physicians practice their 
profession: 
(k) Monitor the performance of the medical schools and their compliance with the 
rules and regulations of the Council on Medical Education; 
(I) Promulgate rules and regulations, and a Code of Ethics for Physicians, 
administrative policies, orders, and issuances to carry out the provisions of 
this Act; 
(m)lnvestigate violations of the Act and the rules and regulations, Code of Ethics, 
administrative policies, orders and issuances promulgated by the Board: 
Provided, That the rules on administrative investigation promulgated by the 
Commission shall govern such investigation: 
(n)lssue subpoena or subpoena duces tecum to secure the attendance of 
respondents or witnesses or the production of documents relative to the 
investigation conducted by the Board; 
( 0 )  Delegate to the Chairman, Vice-chairman, Member of the Board, or a 
Commission Attorney the hearing of an administrative case, If the case is 
technical in nature or concerns strictly the practice of the profession, the 
investigation shall be presided by the Chairman, Vice-chairman or a Member 
of the Board with assistance of a PRC attorney; 
(p) Render decision, order or resolution on preliminary investigation or inquiry 
against violators of this Act, Rules and Regulations or any policy on 
undocketed cases and on docketed administrative cases against examinees 
or registrants which shall become final and executory unless appealed to the 
Commission within fifteen (15) days from receipt of the copy thereof; 
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(9) After due notice and hearing, cancel examination papers andlor bar any 
examinee who shall be found to have violated provision or provisions of this 
Act from future examinations; refuse or defer his registration; reprimand the 
registrant with stern warning; suspend him/her from the practice of the 
profession; revoke hislher certificate of registration; cancel special or 
temporary permit; remove hislher name from the roll of physicians for 
continuous nonpayment of annual registration fees and non-compliance wlth 
Continuing Professional Education (CPE) requirements; 
(r) After due consideration, notice, hearing and deliberation, reinstate or re-enroll 
his name in the said roll and reissue or return hidher certificate of registration 
and professional identification card pursuant to Section 3 1 hereof; 
(s) Administer oaths in connection with the administration, implementation, or 
enforcement of this Act; 
(t) Prosecute or institute criminal action against any violator of this Act and/or the 
rules and regulations of the Board; 
(u) Adopt an official seal; 
(v) Coordinate with the Council of Medical Education in prescribing, amending 
and/or revising the courses; 
(w)Assist the Commission in the implementation of its prescribed guidelines and 
criteria on the Continuing Professional Education for' registeredllicensed 
physicians; and 
(x) Perform such other functions and duties as may be necessary to effectively 
implement this Act. 
The policies, resolutions, and rules and regulations, issued or promulgated by the 
Board shall be subject to the review, revision, and approval by the Commission: 
Provided, however, that the Board's decisions, resolutions or orders which are not 
interlocutory, rendered in an administrative case, shall be subject to review only if on 
appeal. 
SEC. 12. Qualifications ofBoard Members. - Each member of the Board must, 
at the time of hislher appointment: 
(a) Be a natural born Filipino citizen and a resident of the Philippines for at least 
ten (IO) consecutive years; 
(b) Be at least forty (40) years old; 
(c) Be a physician who is a holder of a valid certificate of iregistration and a valid 
professional identification card; 
(d) Be a medical practitioner for at least ten (IO) years; 
(e) Be a bonafide member of the integrated and accredited national organization 
of Physicians; 
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(f) Have not been convicted by final judgment by a competent court of a criminal 
offense involving moral turpitude; 
(9) Have at least two (2) years experience as faculty members in a college of 
medicine; 
(h) Not be a member of the faculty in an institute, school or college of medicine or 
not have a pecuniary interest, direct or indirect, in the institution which offers 
and operates the course or degree of Doctor of Medicine: 
(i) Not be connected with a review center or school or group or association 
where review classes or lectures in preparation for the Physician Licensure 
Examination are being conducted, at the time of appointment; and, 
(j) Not be an officer of the accredited organization of physicians or the integrated 
and accredited national organization of registered and licensed physicians at 
the time of appointment. 
SEC. 13. Term of Office. -The Members of the Board shall hold office from the 
date of their appointment for a term of three (3) years or until their successors shall 
have been appointed. They may, however, be reappointed for another term after expiry 
of their first term. Appointments to fill up vacancies created by causes other than 
through expiration of regular terms shall be for the unexpired period only. Each member 
shall take an oath of office before entering upon the performance of hidher duties. The 
incumbents whose terms have not yet expired or who are serving in a holdover capacity 
at the effectivity of this Act shall be allowed to serve the unexpired portions of their 
terms and may be appointed under this Act. 
SEC. 14. Compensation of Board Members. - The Chairman and Members of 
the Board shall receive compensation and allowances comparable to the compensation 
and allowances received by the chairmen and members of existing regulatory boards 
under the Commission as provided for under the General Appropriations Act. 
SEC. 15. Suspension or Removal of Board Member. - The President of the 
Philippines, upon the recommendation of the Commission after giving the concerned 
member an opportunity to defend himselWherself in a proper administrative investigation 
to be conducted by the Commission, may suspend or remove any member of the Board 
on the following grounds: 
(a) Neglect of duty or incompetence; 
(b) Unprofessional, unethical or dishonorable conduct; 
(c) Manipulation or rigging of the Physician Licensure Examination's results, 
providing secret information, or disclosure of the examination questions 
prior to the conduct of the said examination, or tampering of the grades 
therein; or 
(d) Final conviction by the court of criminal offenses involving moral turpitude. 
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SEC. 16. Administrative Management, Custody of Records, Secretariat and 
Support Services. - The Board shall be under the administrative and executive 
management of the Commission, with the Chairman of the Commission as the Chief 
Executive Officer thereof. All records of the Board shall be under the custody of the 
Commission. 
The Commission shall designate the Secretary of the Board and shall provide the 
SEC. 17. Annual Report. - The Board shall, on or before the end of January of 
the following year, submit its annual report of accomplishments on programs, projects, 
and activities undertaken during the previous calendar year together with its appropriate 
recommendations on issues or problems affecting the practice of medicine, to be 
submitted to the Commission. 
Secretariat and other support services to implement the provisions of this Act. 
ARTICLE IV 
EXAMINATION, REGISTRATION AND LICENSURE 
SEC. 18. Prerequisite to the Practice of Medicine. - No person shall engage in 
the practice of Medicine in the Philippines unless helshe holds: 
(a) a valid certificate of registration and a professional identification card; 
(b) a valid special or temporary permit issued by the Board subject to 
approval by the Commission, or unless helshe is exempted by this Act 
from holding any of the foregoing licenses. 
SEC. 19. Examinations Required. - All applicants for registration, before they 
can be issued a certificate of registration and professional identification card as a 
physician, shall be required to pass a written licensure examination for physicians as 
provided for in this Act, subject to the payment of the fees prescribed by the 
Commission. 
SEC. 20. Qua/ifications for Examination. - Every applicant for examination 
shall establish to the satisfaction of the Board that he/she has the following 
qualifications: 
(a) Helshe is a citizen and resident of the Philippines; Provided, that in cases of a 
foreign citizen, he or she must first comply with the provisions of Section 38 of 
this Act; 
(b) He/she is mentally, emotionally and physically sound; 
(c) He/she has not been convicted in a final judgment by a court for any criminal 
offense involving moral turpitude; 
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(d) He/she is a holder of a degree of Doctor of Medicine conferred by a College 
of Medicine established in the Philippines and duly recognized by CHED or of 
a degree conferred by a College of Medicine abroad and accredited by CHED 
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as substantially equivalent to the degree of Doctor of Medicine offered by a 
College of Medicine here in the Philippines; and, 
(e) He/she has completed one year of post-graduate internship in a Philippine 
hospital or training abroad accredited as equivalent to such internship by the 
Board. 
SEC. 21. Venues and Schedule of Examinations. - The Board shall conduct 
examinations for the registration of Physicians at least once a year in such places and 
dates as the Commission may designate in accordance with the provisions of Republic 
Act No. 8981, otherwise known as the Professional Regulation Commission 
Modernization Act of 2000. 
SEC. 22. Registration, Issuance of Certificate of Registration and 
Professional Identification Card, and Non-registration. - All successful examinees, 
upon compliance with all the legal requirements and payment of fees prescribed by the 
Commission, shall be registered and issued certificates of registration and professional 
identification cards by the Commission. The certificate of registration shall bear the 
registration number and date of issuance and the signatures of the Chairperson and the 
members of the Board, stamped with the seal of the Commission and the Board, 
certifying that the name of the person stated therein appears in the Registry or Roll o€ 
Physicians under the custody of the Commission; that he or she has met or complied 
with all the legal requirements for registration as a physician; that he or she is entitled to 
exercise all the privileges appurtenant to the practice of his or her profession: Provided, 
That, he/she does not violate this Act, its implementing rules and regulations, Code of 
Ethics for Physicians, Code of Technical or Professional Standards and other regulatory 
policies of the Commission and the Board. 
The Professional Identification Card duly signed by the Chairperson of the 
Commission shall bear the name of the registered physician, hidher registration 
number, the date of issuance, its date of expiry, and shall be evidence that he/she can 
lawfully practice hidher profession. 
A successful examinee who has been convicted in final judgment by a court for a 
criminal offense on moral turpitude, found guilty by the Board for dishonorable or 
immoral conduct, or declared by the court to be of unsound mind shall not be included 
in the Registry. The decision of the Board, finding the examinee guilty for dishonorable 
or immoral conduct, may be appealed by the examinee to the Commission andlor to the 
Court of Appeals. The facts and the reasons for refusal to register shall be in writing, 
communicated to the examinee, and duly incorporated in the records of the 
Commission. 
SEC, 23, Scope of Examination. - The Physician Licensure Examinations shall 
cover the following individual or combined/clustered subjects with equal weights for 


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each one final examination after completion of internship: (1) Anatomy; (2) Physiology; 
(3) Biochemistry and Molecular Biology; (4) Pharmacology and Therapeutics; (5) 
Microbiology and Parasitology; (6) Medicine; (7) Pediatrics and Nutrition; (8) Pathology; 
(9) Obstetrics and Gynecology; (1 0) Surgery, Ophthalmology, Otolaryngology and 
Otorhinotoryngology (1 1) Preventive Medicine and Public Health; (1 2) Legal Medicine, 
Code of Ethics for Physicians, and Jurisprudence on the Practice of Medicine: and (13) 
Neurology and Psychiatry. 
When an urgent and important need arises to conform to technological and 
modern changes, the Board may recluster, rearrange, modify the foregoing subjects, 
add to or exclude any subject, or prescribe the number of final examination(s) to be 
conducted every year, in consultation with the Council and with approval by the 
Commission. The Board Resolution thereon shall be officially published in the Official 
Gazette or newspapers of general circulation and also circularized and disseminated to 
all of Medicine. 
Each of the thirteen (13) subjects shall have its syllabus or table of specification. 
The Board shall apply the syllabi only after necessary consultation with the concerned 
members of the academe, approval by the Commission, publication of its Board 
Resolution pursuant to legal requirements, dissemination to all Colleges of Medicine, 
and a lapse of at least three (3) months from its effectivity. Each syllabus shall be 
subject to modification or amendment, as the need arises. 
SEC. 24. Rating in the Examination. - To pass the Physician Licensure 
Examination, an examinee must obtain a general weighted average rating in all thirteen 
(13) subjects of no less than seventy-five percent (75%) with no rating in any subject 
below fifty per cent (50%). 
SEC. 25. Reports and Publication of the Results of Examination. - The Board 
shall report the rating of each examinee to the Commission within ten (IO) days from 
the last day of examination. The official results of the examination, containing the list of 
topnotcher examinees, and the names of the schools or colleges obtaining top 
percentages of successful graduate examinees shall be published by the Commission 
in a newspaper of general circulation. 
The Report of Rating of every examinee shall be mailed to his given address 
using the mailing envelope he submitted during the examination. 
SEC. 26. Oath. - All successful examinees shall be required to take their oath 
before the Board, or any official authorized by the Commission to administer oath, prior 
to the issuance of their certificates of registration and professional identification card or 
before they start the practice of their profession. 
ARTICLE V 
REGULATION OF THE PRACTICE OF THE MEDICAL PROFESSION 
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SEC. 27. Acts Constituting the Practice of Medicine. - A person shall be 
considered as engaged in the practice of Medicine: 
(a) for compensation, fee, salary or reward in any form paid to him directly or 
through another, physically examine any person and diagnose, treat, operate 
or prescribe any remedy for human disease, injury, deformity, physical, 
mental, psychical condition or any ailment, real or imaginary, regardless of 
the nature of the remedy for treatment administered, prescribed or 
recommended; 
(b) by means of signs, cards, advertisements, written or printed matter; or 
through the radio, television or any other means of communication, either 
offer or undertake by any means or method to diagnose, treat, operate or 
prescribe any remedy for any human disease, injury, deformity, physical, 
mental or psychological condition; 
(c) administer medical aid or treatment in life threatening situations where 
pharmacy services are not accessible; 
(d) use M.D. after hislher name; 
(e) teach, lecture or conduct review classes on subjects on the medical degree or 
in the 
Physicians Licensure Examination; or 
be a 
holder 
of 
a 
special/temporary permit. 
SEC. 28. Suspension or Revocation of the Certificate of Registration. - The 
Board shall have the power, upon proper notice and hearing, to revoke the certificate of 
registration of a physician, suspend him/her from the practice of hidher profession or, in 
case of a foreign physician, reprimand him/her of a cancellation of the special or 
temporary permit issued thereto, for any of the following grounds or causes: 
(a) Final conviction by a court of competent jurisdiction of any criminal offense 
involving moral turpitude; 
(b) Immoral or dishonorable conduct; 
(c) Insanity; 
(d) Fraud in the acquisition of certificate of registration and professional identification 
(e) Gross negligence, ' ignorance or incompetence in. the practice of hidher 
card or temporary or special permit; 
profession, resulting in an injury or death of the patient; 
(f) Addiction to alcoholic beverages, or to any habit-forming drug rendering himlher 
incompetent to practice hidher profession, 
(g) False or extravagant or unethical advertisements wherein other things than his 
name, profession, limitation of practice, clinic hours, office and home address arc 
meationed; 
(h) Performance of; or aiding in, any criminal abortion; 
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(i) Issuance of any false medical certificate; 
(j) Issuance of any statement or spreading any news or rumor which is derogatory 
to the character and reputation of another physician without justifiable move; 
(k) The aiding or acting as dummy €or unqualified or unregistered person to practice 
medicine; 
( I )  
Violation of any provision of the Code of Ethics for Physicians or the Code of 
Technical or Professional Standards as prescribed by the organization of 
physicians accredited by the Commission or by the integrated and accredited 
national organization of physicians, and adopted and promulgated by the Board 
subject to the approval of the Commission; 
(m)The practice of profession during the period of his suspension from the practice 
thereof: 
(n) Refusal to attend to a patient in danger of death if there is no risk to his own life; 
(0) Expulsion or termination of membership in the integrated and accredited national 
organization of physicians; and 
(p) Violation of this Act, its implementing rules and regulations and other policies the 
Board and the Commission issued pursuant to this Act. 
A decision of suspension, revocation of the certificate of registration or removal 
from the roll by the Board as provided herein may be appealed initially to the 
Commission within fifteen days from receipt thereof. The decision of the Commission 
may be appealed to the Court of Appeals in accordance with the procedures provided in 
the Rules of Court. 
SEC. 29. Rights of Respondents. - The respondent physician shall be entitlefif 
to be represented by a counsel or be heard in person, to have a speedy and public 
hearing, to confront, and to cross-examine witness or witnesses testifying against him, 
and to all other rights guaranteed by the Constitution provided for in the Rules of Court. 
SEC. 30. Appeals from Judgment. - The decision of the Board shall 
automatically become final fifteen (15) days after the date of its promulgation unless the 
respondent, during the same period, has appealed the said decision of the Commission. 
If the final decision is not satisfactory, the respondent may appeal the decision to the 
Court of Appeals. 
SEC. 31. 
Reissuance 
of Revoked 
Certificate of 
Registration and 
Professional License and Replacement of Lost Certificate or Professional 
License. - After two (2) years and aftei- due consultation with the integrated and 
accredited national organization of physicians, the Board may order the reinstatement of 
any physician whose certificate of registration has been revoked, if the respondent has 
acted in an exemplary manner in the community. 
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A new certificate of registration or professional license may be issued to a 
physician who has lost, destroyed or mutilated, subject to the rules of the Commission. 
SEC. 32. Indication of Certificate or Registration and Professional Tax 
Receipt. - A registered physician shall indicate his/her certificate of registration number, 
date of issuance, the expiry date, and the professional tax receipt number on the 
prescription and other documents helshe signs, uses or issues in connection with the 
practice of hidher profession. 
SEC. 33. Vested Rights. - All physicians registered at the time this law takes 
effect shall automatically be registered under the provisions hereof, subject however to 
future requirements set forth hereunder. 
SEC. 34. Persons Exempted from Holding Valid Certificate of Registration 
or Special Temporary Permit. - The preceding section shall not be construed to affect 
the following: 
(a) any medical student duly enrolled in an approved medical college or school, 
or any graduate who is under training, or who is serving without any 
professional fee in any government or private hospital: Provided That, helshe 
enders such service under the direct supervision and control of a registered 
physician; 
(b) any legally registered dentist engaged exclusively in the practice of dentistry; 
(c) any duly registered masseur or physiotherapist: Provided, that helshe applies 
massage or other physical means upon written order or prescription of a duly 
registeredllicensed physician: Provided, further, that such application of 
., ., massage of physical 
. 
.
,
.
.
 
means shall be 
. , .  limited to physical . ,  or ,muscular 
;,. . 
(d) any duly registered optometrist who mechanically fits or sells lenses, artificial 
eyes, limbs, or other similar appliances or who is engaged in the mechanical 
examination of the eyes for the purpose of constructing or adjusting 
eyeglasses, spectacles and lenses; 
development; 
(e) any person who renders any service gratuitously in cases of emergency, or in 
places where the services of a duly registered physician, nurse or midwife is 
not available; 
(f) any person who administers or recommends any household remedy as per 
classification of existing pharmacy laws; 
(9) any clinical psychologist, or mental hygienist, in the performance of hidher 
duties, with regard to patients with psychiatric problems: Provided, that such 
performance is done with the prescription and direct supervision of a duly 
registeredllicensed physician; and, 
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physicians. 
SEC. 35. Integration of the Profession. - The profession shall be integrated 
into one national organization of registered physicians to be duly recognized and 
accredited by the Board subject to approval by the Commission. A physician duly 
registered by the Board and the Commission shall automatically become a member of 
the said organization and shall receive the benefits and privileges appurtenant thereto 
upon payment of required fees and dues. Membership in the integrated organization 
shall not be a bar to membership in any other association of physicians. 
SEC. 36. Continuing Medical Education. - The Board shall implement the 
continuing medical education among practicing physicians in consonance with the 
guidelines of the Continuing Professional Education (CPE) of the Commission. 
Exemption from the CPE program may he applied for upon reaching the age of 65. 
SEC. 37. Automatic Registration of Physicians. - All physicians whose names 
shall appear in the Registry or Roll or Roster of Physicians at the time of the effectivity 
of this Act shall automatically be registered by the Board and the Commission as 
physicians and thereafter by the integrated and accredited national organization of 
registered and licensed physicians as its bomfide members pursuant to Section 35 of 
this Act. 
SEC. 38. Foreign Reciprocity. - Unless the country of which he/she is a subject, 
or citizen specifically permik Filipino physicians to practice within its territo'rial limits on 
the same basis as the subject or citizen of such foreign state or country under 
reciprocity and under international agreements, no foreigner shall be admitted to the 
examination and be given a certificate of registration to practice as a physician and be 
entitled to any of the privileges under this Act. 
. .  
. 
.. . 
ARTICLE VI 
PENAL PROVISIONS 
SEC. 39. Penalties - The penalties of imprisonment of not less than one (1) year 
but not more than five (5) years or a fine of not less than Fifty Thousand Pesos 
(P50,OOO.OO) but not more, than Two Hundred Thousand Pesos (P200,000.00), or both, 
upon discretion of the court, shall be imposed upon any of the following: 
[a) Any person who shall practice or offer to practice medicine in the Philippines 
without a valid certificate of registration and a valid professional identification 
card or a valid temporary or special permit in accordance with the provision of 
this Act; 
(b) Any person presenting or attempting to use as hislher own the certificate of 
registration or temporary or special permit of another; 
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(c) Any person who shall give any false or forged evidence of any kind to the 
Board or to the Commission in obtaining a certificate of registration or 
temporary or special permit; 
(d) Any person who shall impersonate a registrant using the same name; 
(e) Any registered or licensed physician who shall abet or assist the medicine; 
(f) Any person who shall attempt to use a revoked or suspended certificate of 
registration or professional identification card or a cancelled special or 
temporary permit; 
(9) Any person who shall use or advertise any title of description tending to 
convey the impression that he is a registered licensed physician; 
(h) Any person who shall violate any of the provisions of this Act and its 
implementing rules and regulations. 
SEC. 40. Injunctions. -The Board may file an action to enjoin any person 
illegally practicing Medicine from the performance of any act constituting the practice of 
Medicine if the case so warrants until the necessary certificate therefore is secured. Any 
such person who, after having been so enjoined, continues on the illegal practice of 
Medicine shall be punished for contempt of court. The said injunction shall not relieve 
the person from criminal prosecution and punishment as provided in the preceding 
section. 
, . ,  
ARTICLE VI1 
FINAL PROVISIONS 
SEC. 41. Enforcement. - The Commission shall be the enforcement agency of 
the Board. As such, the Commission shall implement the concerned provisions of this 
Act, enforce its implementing rules and regulations as adopted by the Board, assist the 
Board in the investigation of complaints against violators of this Act, its implementing 
rules and regulations, Code of Ethics for Physicians and other policies of the Board. The 
Commission or the Board shall call upon or request any department, instrumentality, 
office, bureau, institution or agency of the government, including local government units 
to render such assistance as it may require, or to coordinate or cooperate in order to 
carry out, enforce or implement the professional regulatory policies of the Government 
or any program or activity it may undertake. 
SEC. 42. Appropriations. - The Chairpersons of CHED and the PRC shall 
immediately include in their programs the implementation of this Act, the funding of 
which shall be charged against their current year’s appropriations and thereafter in their 
annual appropriations 
SEC. 43. lmplementing Rules and Regulations. - Within ninety days from the 
effectivity of this Act, the Board, subject to the approval of the Commission, and in 
coordination with the accredited and integrated national organization of registered and 
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licensed physicians, shall prepare the necessary rules and regulations, including a 
Code of Ethics for Physicians, to implement the provisions of this Act. 
SEC. 44. Transitory Provision. - The incumbent Board shall continue to 
function in the interim until such time as the new Board shall have been constituted 
pursuant to this Act. 
SEC. 45. Separability Clause. - If any clause, provisions, paragraphs or part 
hereof shall be declared unconstitutional or invalid, such judgment shall not affect, 
invalidate, impair any other part thereof, but such judgment shall be merely confined to 
the clause, provision, paragraph or part directly involved in the controversy in which 
such judgment has been rendered. 
SEC. 46. Repealing Clause. - Republic Act No. 2382 known as "The Medical 
Act of 1959" us amended by Republic Act Nos. 4224 and 5946, all laws amending the 
said Act, and all other laws, decrees, executive orders, and other administrative 
issuances and parts thereof which are inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are 
hereby modified, amended, superseded or repealed accordingly. 
SEC. 47. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days following 
the completion of its publication in the Official Gazette or any major daily newspaper of 
general circulation in the Philippines. 
1 0 
Approved, 
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