IGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
of tijf
SENATE
20 MAY ”6 P2--06
Introduced by Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING A NATIONAL TELEMEDICINE SYSTEM
IN THE PHILIPPINES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
"The State shall protect and promote the right to health of the people and 
instill health consciousness among them." This has been mandated under Sec. 15 
Article II of the Constitution. However, despite the commendable efforts of our 
health professionals, according to reports by the Department of Health (DOH), in the 
year 2016, more than 58% of recorded deaths in the country were unattended or 
that they were not given medical care at any point in time during the course of the 
illness which directly caused their death. This has probably caused the increase from 
4.9% to 5.6% or a jump of 14% of the countries crude death or mortality rate.
The lack of access to healthcare is a serious problem in the country, especially 
for those living in rural areas. As a matter of fact, in a study from the University of 
Texas - School of Public Health of a selected town in the Philippines, only 15% of 
the inhabitants had undergone medical check-up despite the fact that 63% of them 
had reported a family history of chronic diseases.


The problem is probably not mainly because of the lack of health personnel 
as according to the DOH report, the Philippines has a huge human reservoir of 
health personnel. However, they are unevenly distributed in the country and most 
are concentrated in urban areas such as Metro Manila and other cities.
Hence, there is a need to capacitate our health professionals to reach 
medically underserved Filipinos and in the same way allow all Filipinos to 
conveniently be able to access necessary health services.
This bill, therefore, seeks to institutionalize a national telemedicine system in 
the Philippines through the use of information and communications technologies.
In view of the foregoing, the passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
TOL" N. TOLENTINO


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES 
First Regular Session
SENATE 
S. No.
^6 Senate
of tl)c Biccrctarp
20 MAY-6 P2:06
RtCEl'\
Introduced by Senator Francis "Tol" N. Tolentino
AN ACT
INSTITUTIONALIZING A NATIONAL TELEMEDICINE SYSTEM
IN THE PHILIPPINES
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
1 
Section 1. Short Title - This Act shall be known as the "Telemedicine Act"
2 
Sec. 2. Declaration of Policy-The State shall protect and promote the right to
3 
health of the people and instill health consciousness among them. Hence, it is the
4 
policy of the state to continuously search for, develop, and utilize innovative ways
5 
and systems to fully protect the health of all Filipinos, from the dense populations of
6 
urban centers to the far-flung and unreachable rural and remote areas.
7 
It shall likewise be the policy of the state to encourage and strengthen
8 
initiatives for promoting health in times of emergencies and calamities through the
9 
use of information and communication technology.
10 
Sec. 3. Objectives -The objectives of the Philippine Telemedicine Act are:
11 
a. To create an innovative, unified, and comprehensive policy framework
12 
for the practice and development of telemedicine in the country.
13 
b. To provide healthcare services, including consultation, diagnosis,
14 
treatment, and prescription of medicines especially in areas that have


1 
inadequate or are far from traditional healthcare institutions and
2 
professionals.
3 
c. To allow the use of information and communication technology in the
4 
delivery of healthcare services especially in times of emergencies and
5 
disasters.
6 
d. To strengthen the health system and infrastructure of the country that
7 
will enable it to serve all Filipinos and withstand any unforeseen
8 
events.
9 
Sec. 4. Definition of Terms - For the purposes of this Act, the following
10 
definitions shall apply:
11 
a. Telemedicine - also referred to as telehealth or electronic healthcare, is
12 
a system of delivering healthcare services through the use of
13 
information and communications technology as a complement to
14 
traditional healthcare systems. It includes the total management of a
15 
patient's health care from consultation, diagnosis, and treatment to
16 
prescription of medicine and record-keeping. It likewise includes the
17 
education and training of health personnel to capacitate them to use
18 
telemedicine systems as weil as the development of applications and
19 
programs for the furtherance of health.
20 
b. Information and Communications Technology - includes but is not
21 
limited to:
22 
i. Digital interactive video, audio, and/or data transmission;
23 
ii. Video or web-conferencing technology;
24 
iii. Still image capture or asynchronous store and forward;
25 
iv. Modern medical devices for patient care and diagnosis.
26 
Sec. 5. Nationai Teiemedicine Councii - A National Telemedicine Council,
27 
hereinafter referred to as "Councii", is hereby established and composed of the
28 
following:
29 
a. Secretary of the Department of Health, who shall act as Chairman.
30 
b. Secretary of the Department of Information and Communication
31 
Technology
32 
c. Secretary of the Department of Science and Technology


1 
d. Secretary of the Department of the Interior and Local Government
2 
e. President of the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation
3 
f. Director-General of the Food and Drug Administration
4 
g. Presidents of Healthcare professional associations such as the
5 
Philippine Medical Association, Philippine Nurses Association, and the
6 
Philippine Pharmacists Association
7 
h. Director of the National Telehealth Center
8 
Sec. 6. Functions of the Council- The Council, with regard to telemedicine in
9 
the Philippines, shall:
10 
a. Establish guidelines and regulations on the practice and provision of
11 
services;
12 
b. Create a national roadmap for the achievement and furtherance of the
13 
objectives of this act;
14 
c. Establish and provide for a mechanism of accreditation for electronic
15 
healthcare providers;
16 
d. Establish a national integrated database system for medical
17 
information;
18 
e. Establish a system for electronic prescription of medicine;
19 
f. Spearhead and promote research and development activities;
20 
g. Capacitate and train existing and new healthcare professionals on the
21 
provision of health services;
22 
h. Set quality standards for systems, professionals and services;
23 
The Council shall convene as frequently as necessary to perform their
24 
mandated functions.
25 
Sec. 7. Implementing Agency and Secretariat-The Department of Health shall
26 
be the lead agency in implementing this Act. For this purpose, an Office for
27 
Telemedicine shall be created under the Department which shall serve as the
28 
Secretariat for the Council as well.
29 
Sec. 8. Practice of Medicine - The provision of Telemedicine services that the
30 
Council shall limit only to registered physicians shall be deemed as acts constituting
31 
practice of medicine, and shall result to the establishment of patient-doctor
32 
relationship among others.


1 
Sec. 9. Emergency-The Council shall establish special rules and systems for
2 
the enhanced utilization of Telemedicine in times of emergencies and calamities.
3 
Sec. 10. Privacy- Ail medical records generated, including records maintained
4 
via video, audio, eiectronic, or other means acquired through Telemedicine must
5 
conform to the laws regarding the confidentiality of healthcare Information of the
6 
patient, rights to medicai information, and recordkeeping requirements. Any violation
7 
of this provision shail be penalized to the maximum extent under the law.
8 
Sec. 11. Standard of Care - the standard of care shall be the same as the
9 
standard of care required in traditional or non-Telemedicine healthcare services.
10 
Sec. 12. Implementing Rules and Regulations - The Council shall promulgate
11 
the necessary guidelines for the effective implementation of this act within 90 days
12 
from the enactment of this Act.
13 
Sec. 13. Appropriation - The amount necessary to carry out the provisions of
14 
this Act shall be included in the General Appropriations Act of the year following its
15 
enactment into a law.
16 
Sec. 14. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this Act is declared
17 
unconstitutional or invalid, other sections or parts thereof not affected thereby shall
18 
remain in full force and effect.
19 
Sec. 15. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and
20 
regulations or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
21 
repealed or modified accordingly.
22 
Sec. 16. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its
23 
complete publication in the Official Gazette or in at least one (1) newspaper of
24 
general circulation.
Approved,