reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342e - Transfers—Resources, facilities, lands, etc

All resources and facilities, including records, equipment, property, buildings, lands, funds and appropriations, which are being used in connection with the programs and functions of the Corporation to be used, owned or spent by the Administration in connection with the functions it is bound to perform pursuant to the provisions of this chapter, are hereby transferred to the Administration.
The lands donated to the People of Puerto Rico by deed No. 66, executed before Notary Public Eduardo Acuña Aybar, in San Juan, on August 2, 1913, and those acquired by the People of Puerto Rico through purchase from Tomás López Morales by public deed No. 16, executed before Notary Public Antonio J. Amadeo, in San Juan, on July 23, 1924, other than the lands the Corporation has already transferred to agencies of the Government of the United States of America under Act No. 106 of June 26, 1962, as amended, are hereby included in the lands transferred.
The Administration may dispose of the lands transferred by this chapter in order to carry out its purposes after prior consultation with the Board and the approval of the Secretary, and to such ends it may transfer lots from them to agencies and instrumentalties of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or of the Government of the United States and its political subdivisions. In the same manner, it may convey in usufruct lots of land to private nonprofit associations and organizations dedicated to teaching, medical investigation (or research) or the promotion and conservation of health. The conditions and requirements under which the transfers and conveyances of the usufruct of lots of these lands [sic] shall be determined in each case by the Secretary of Health in consultation with the Board. Conveyance of the usufruct shall be for a limited term or for the term determined by the Secretary without being subject to the provisions of § 1578 of Title 31. Provided, That the lots already conveyed in usufruct and those to be conveyed in the future as well as the structures and other real property on the lots shall also be exempted from payment of property taxes for the duration of the usufruct.
All proposals for the construction, addition, alteration, remodeling or demolition of structures or physical facilities that affect the lands conveyed to the participating entities must be presented for the consideration of the Board sufficiently in advance by the proposing participating entity. The recommendation of the Board will be determining for the final decision on the petition.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 6; July 9, 1985, No. 99, p. 321, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342f - Transfers—Debts, obligations and responsibilities

All debts, obligations, responsibilities, as well as the duty to meet the same and the right to receive the benefit of any judgment for or against the Corporation after the approval of this act are hereby transferred to the Administration.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342g-1 - Torts—Civil action

No health services professional shall be included as defendant in a civil action claiming damages for medical malpractice faults or negligence caused in the practice of his/her profession as long as said health services professional acts in the performance of his/her duties and functions as an employee of the Medical Services Administration of Puerto Rico. In all civil suits in which claims for damages are brought against the Medical Services Administration of Puerto Rico, in all cases in which a judgment is rendered for acts constituting medical malpractice committed by employees or officials of the Medical Services Administration of Puerto Rico, or by physicians who render services under contract to the Medical Services Administration of Puerto Rico in the performance of their institutional duties; or when judgment is rendered for acts which constitute faults or negligence directly related to the operation of a health care institution under the Medical Services Administration of Puerto Rico, the Medical Services Administration of Puerto Rico, shall be subject to the limits of liability and conditions imposed by §§ 3077 et seq. of Title 32, when compelling liability from the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico in similar circumstances.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, added as § 8A on July 18, 1998, No. 141, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342i - Payment of obligations, priority; special fund

(a) When the funds available for a specific fiscal year are not enough to cover the disbursements for said fiscal year, first priority shall be given to the payment of interest and the amortization of obligations issued under subsection (d) of § 342g of this title, and then the other disbursement shall be made pursuant to the priorities that are established by law.
(b) On or before the last day of each month of every fiscal year, the Executive Director of the Administration shall transfer from the funds set aside under § 342m of this title or from any other available funds, to a fund that shall be designated as “Special Fund for the Amortization and Redemption of Obligations”, an amount equal to (1) one sixth (⅙) part of the interest to be paid in the next six (6) months, and (2) one twelfth (1/12) part of the principal to be paid or that must be amortized within the next twelve (12) months, of all obligations incurred under subsection (d) of § 342g of this title.
(c) The moneys covered into said Special Fund shall only be disbursed for the payment of the principal and interest on obligations incurred by the Administration.
(d) The moneys covered into said Special Fund shall be kept in trust by the Government Development Bank and they shall be invested and reinvested in direct obligations or those secured by the Government of Puerto Rico or the Government of the United States or any agency or instrumentality thereof, which shall mature or be subject to redemption at the option of the holder thereof, no later than the respective dates when such moneys are required for the purposes of this section.
(e) The revenues accrued through the investment and reinvestment of the funds shall be kept in the Special Fund to create an additional reserve for the payment of the principal and interest on the obligations.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342j - Purchases and supply and service contracts

Any purchases and supply and service contracts executed by the Administration shall be made through a bidding process; Provided, That when the estimated cost for acquiring or rendering the service does not exceed forty thousand dollars ($40,000), the same may be conducted without the bidding process. Neither shall competitive bidding be necessary when:
(1) An emergency requires the immediate delivery of materials, effects or equipment or the performance of services, or
(2) spare parts, accessories, equipment or supplementary services are needed for equipment or services previously rendered or contracted, or
(3) the service or work of experts is required and the Secretary deems that in the interest of a sound management it is better that the contracts for such purposes be made without the need of competitive bidding, or
(4) the prices are not subject to competition because there is only one source of supply available or they are regulated by law. In such cases, such materials, effects or equipment shall be purchased or such services shall be obtained in the open market in the usual and ordinary way of doing business. The Administration or its representative shall reserve the right to award at a public call for bidding on the basis of considerations other than price.
In every case in which a purchase is made or the performance of a service is contracted without resorting to a call for bids, a detailed record of the reason for dispensing with the call for bids shall be kept. Whenever the Administration or its representative awards a purchase or the performance of a service for considerations other than price, such considerations shall have to be clearly in the public interest and a detailed record thereof and of the way public interest is best served with such an action shall be kept. The documents explaining the reasons why the competitive bidding is dispensed with or is awarded for considerations other than price shall be deemed public documents subject to examination by any citizen, especially by persons or entities interested in rendering services or in selling any goods or supplies.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 11; July 9, 1985, No. 99, p. 321, § 9; July 21, 2006, No. 132, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342k - Deposit of funds of the Administration

All Administration moneys shall be entrusted to designated depositaries of the funds of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The amounts shall be maintained in a separate account or accounts registered in the name of the Administration. Disbursements shall be made pursuant to rules and regulations prescribed by the Administration. These regulations shall be promulgated by the Administration in coordination with the Secretary of the Treasury.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 12; July 2, 1985, No. 45, p. 160, § 1; July 9, 1985, No. 99, p. 321, § 10.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342m - Personnel; rights and transfer

(a) The Administration shall be excluded from the provisions of Act No. 5 of October 14, 1975. The Administration shall have a personnel system based on the merit principle. The Administration employees shall be entitled to negotiate collective bargaining agreements. Within one hundred eighty (180) days after the date of approval of this act, the Administration must adopt, with the advice of the Personnel Office, personnel regulations embodying the merit principle, which shall govern the personnel standards of those employees who are covered by collective bargaining agreements.
A copy of the regulations thus adopted shall be sent to the Legislature of Puerto Rico.
(b) All personnel rendering services in the Medical Center on the date this act takes effect are hereby transferred to the Administration. The personnel thus transferred shall keep their vested rights under the laws and regulations in force at the time of the transfer, as well as all rights, privileges, duties and status in connection with any existing pension or retirement system or systems or savings and loan funds to which they may be affiliated.
(c) All the provisions of the personnel regulations and of the Collective Bargaining Agreement in force when this act is approved shall continue in effect until their expiration, repeal or amendment.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 14.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342n - Evaluation of services; report

The Board shall carry out a periodic evaluation of the services required and needed by the institutions located on the grounds of the Medical Center for the purpose of determining the need to conduct the reorganization of the services as the need may arise due to technological, scientific, demographic and social changes, taking into consideration the need for maintaining the excellence and efficiency of the medical services rendered in the Administration and in the consumer institutions and maximizing the use of the resources. Said evaluation shall be conducted as frequently as not less than every five (5) years as of the reorganization provided by § 342n-1 of this title. The Board and the consumer institutions shall render a report and their recommendations to the Governor and to the Legislature regarding any other organizational restructuring that may be convenient not later than one hundred and eighty (180) days after the close of the fiscal year in which the evaluation is initiated. Provided, That the Governor shall approve those services of the Administration that it may want to centralize, realign and reorganize in the future.
Furthermore Provided, That such determinations shall be based in feasibility studies that give due consideration to the objectives of the Medical Center.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 15; Nov. 11, 1978, No. 3, p. 671, § 1; July 9, 1985, No. 99, p. 321, § 11; Sept. 7, 2005, No. 112, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342o - Advancement of funds; reimbursement

(a) All advances made pursuant to the provisions of this section shall be reimbursed to the Commonwealth General Fund by the Administration within the fiscal year following that when the advance is made; Provided, further, That the Administration shall pay the interest for such advance to the Secretary of the Treasury at the rate to be determined by the latter.
(b) The Secretary of the Treasury of Puerto Rico is authorized to withhold the amounts needed according to the contribution each entity should make for the operation of all those auxiliary medical services, commercial-type services and managerial services rendered by the Administration, for the purpose of recovering proportionately the advances from any appropriations or funds in its power belonging to consumer institutions operating one (1) or more institutions in the Administration.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 16; July 2, 1985, No. 45, p. 160, § 4, retroactive to July 1, 1985.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342p - Annual budget of expenses; semi-annual report

At least thirty (30) days before May 15 of each year, the Administration shall submit to the Governor for his approval an annual budget of operating expenses and capital investments, containing a chart of probable revenues and a disbursement program based on a plan of the work and services to be rendered. The Governor may amend said budget.
The Administration shall establish the fiscal, budgetary and cost controls which may be needed to keep the budget within the limits of the expected income so that they will not incur a deficit.
The Administration shall render a semi-annual report on the work performed and all the income received and disbursements made to the Governor or the official whom he may delegate, no later than thirty (30) working days after the semester has ended.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 17; Nov. 11, 1978, No. 3, p. 671, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342q - Powers of Board of Participating Entities

The Board of the Puerto Rico Medical Center Participating Entities constitutes the basic mechanism of participation for the entities or bodies that operate one (1) or more institutions and service facilities, and shall be empowered to:
(a) Consider matters and situations relevant to the function of coordinating consumer institutions to ensure their efficiency so that they can operate as a system.
(b) Periodically define and evaluate public policy as well as the purposes and objectives of the Medical Center as a system.
(c) Propose the operational expense budget of the Administration.
(d) Study the desirability, viability and convenience of centralizing services.
(e) Periodically evaluate the centralized services.
(f) Analyze and evaluate the operation of the Medical Center as a system.
(g) Plan the physical and organization development of the Medical Center.
The Board shall meet within sixty (60) days after the approval of this act and shall organize and designate a Vice-Chairperson from among its members as well as a Secretary who shall not be a member of the Board.
Six (6) members of the Board shall constitute a quorum and decisions shall be made by an absolute majority of its members. The Board shall meet at least six (6) times a year in regular meetings and may meet in special sessions every time it deems it pertinent, after being duly summoned by its Chairperson. During every meeting of the Board, minutes and records of the proceedings shall be kept of its deliberations and agreements.
The Administration shall provide the Board with all the physical facilities and administrative powers needed to properly carry out its duties. The Board may create such special committees it deems are needed for the faithful performance of its functions, and may perform all the studies and investigations which are found to be necessary to attain its objectives, and to execute the duties delegated to it by this chapter. The Executive Director shall take part in the meetings and shall have a voice but no vote.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, § 18; July 9, 1985, No. 99, p. 321, § 12; July 22, 1992, No. 30, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20A - Medical Services Administration (§§ 342 — 342r) › § 342r - Administration and Medical Policy Committee

Within the sixty (60) days following the approval of this act, an Administration and Medical Policy Committee shall be constituted which shall be composed pursuant to the provisions of subsection (8) of § 342a of this title and shall have the duties delegated therein.
The main duty of this Committee shall be that of facilitating direct and effective participation of these institutions in the identification, attention to and solution of their problems and situations in their interaction with the Administration and among themselves, for the purpose of attaining a more effective inter-institutional coordination and collaboration.
The members of the Administration and Medical Policy Committee shall elect from among themselves a Chairperson and Vice-Chairperson at a meeting summoned to such effects. The Executive Director of the Administration shall be the Secretary of the Committee. The Chairperson of the Committee shall be an ex officio member of the Board of Participating Entities.
The Administration and Medical Policy Committee shall carry out the investigations and studies that are needed to carry out its duties, and shall perform such other duties entrusted to it.
History —June 22, 1978, No. 66, p. 203, added as § 19 on July 9, 1985, No. 99, p. 321, § 12.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343 - Title

This chapter shall be known as the “Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation Act”.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343a - Creation

A public corporation is hereby created which shall be known as the “Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation”. Said Corporation shall function as an entity which is independent and separate from any other agency or instrumentality of the Government of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and shall be governed by a Board of Directors.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343c - Board of Directors

The powers of the Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation shall be conferred to and performed by its Board of Directors.
The members of the Board shall be of legal age, residents of Puerto Rico and committed to promote the development in the field of cardiology.
The Board shall be composed of seven (7) members of which the following three (3) shall be ex officio members: the Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico, the Rector of the Medical Sciences Campus of the University of Puerto Rico, and the Executive Director of the Puerto Rico Medical Services Administration.
Of the four remaining members, two (2) shall be: a representative of the Puerto Rican Cardiology Society, and a representative of a nonprofit cardiology foundation which is duly registered in the Department of State of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. These four (4) members shall be appointed by the Governor of Puerto Rico; two (2) of which shall be appointed for an initial terms of two (2) years, and the other two (2), for three (3) years. As their initial terms expire, the Governor shall appoint their successors for four (4)-year terms.
In case of a vacancy, resignation, death or removal, the person selected to replace the member who has resigned, died or been removed, shall hold office for the unexpired term of the original member.
The Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico shall be Chairman of the Board, who shall designate a Vice Chairman and a Secretary. The Secretary of the Board shall not necessarily have to be a member of the Board. Four (4) members of the Board shall be the quorum for conducting its affairs and any other matter, and any agreement of the Board shall be made with the concurrent vote of at least four (4) of its members.
It shall be the duty of the Board to designate an Executive Director to whom it shall delegate the needed powers and faculties and who shall be responsible for the operational and administrative phases of the Corporation.
The Board shall appoint a Medical Director who shall be answerable to the Executive Director, except for decisions of a medical nature. The Executive Director and the Medical Director shall submit quarterly and annual reports to the Board concerning the operational, medical and financial status and activities.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 4; Aug. 21, 1990, No. 2, p. 1393, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343d - Executive Director

In addition to the powers and faculties conferred on the Executive Director by this statute, he shall have all the powers, faculties, attributes and rights that the Board of Directors shall delegate on him among which, without being limited thereto, shall be:
(a) To appoint a Deputy Director. In case of the absence or temporary disability of the Executive Director, the Deputy Director shall take his place and shall exercise all the Executive Director’s functions and rights during said absence or disability. In case of the Executive Director’s death, resignation or dismissal from office the Deputy Director shall perform all his functions until a successor is appointed.
(b) To plan, direct and supervise the operations of the Corporation and its programs.
(c) To delegate to subordinate officials any function or power assigned by this or any other law, except the power to promulgate regulations which cannot be delegated.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343e - Exemptions

The Corporation shall be exempted from all types of taxes, duties, imposts or fees, including license fees, imposts or those imposed by the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico or any of its political subdivisions, including all of its operations, movable or immovable properties, capital, income and surplus.
The Corporation is likewise exempted from the payment of all types of rights or imposts required by law for the execution of judicial proceedings, the issuing of certificates in the offices and dependencies of the Government of the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions and the granting of public documents and their registration in any public registry of Puerto Rico.
At the same time, an exemption is granted to the Corporation from the payment corresponding to any sums in excess of those allowed by §§ 3077—3092a of Title 32, known as the “Commonwealth of Puerto Rico Liability Act”.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 6; Aug. 23, 2005, No. 62, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343f - Transfer of land

Any of the land which was transferred to the Puerto Rico Medical Services Administration by §§ 342—342r of this title, which is needed to carry out the purposes of this chapter, is hereby transferred to the Corporation.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 7.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343g - Working plan and construction

The final working plan and the construction of the building that shall house the Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation shall rest upon the Public Buildings Authority, which shall charge a reasonable rent for the use thereof once it is finished and turned over to the Board of Directors. This rent shall help to amortize the debt for a period of thirty (30) years.
The equipment needed for the operation of the Puerto Rico Cardiovascular Center shall be acquired by the Public Buildings Authority.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 8.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343h - Budget

The Board of Directors of the Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Cardiovascular Corporation shall submit an operating expenses and capital investments budget to the Legislature, through the Office of the Governor, which should contain a statement of estimated income and a disbursement program based on a working plan and the services to be rendered by the Corporation.
The Corporation’s Board of Directors shall establish the fiscal, budgetary and cost controls needed to keep the budget within the limits of its estimated income so as to keep from incurring shortfalls.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 9.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343i - Reports

The Executive Director of the Cardiovascular Corporation Center of Puerto Rico and the Caribbean shall render a bi-annual report to the Board of Directors which, in turn, shall remit a copy to the Governor or to the official delegated by him, on the work performed. Additionally, a copy of said bi-annual report shall be remitted to the Legislature, and a copy of this report shall be specifically remitted to each of the Commissions of Social Welfare and of Health, of the House of Representatives as well as of the Senate of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 10; Jan. 8, 2004, No. 39, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART I - Hospitals, Institutions, And Health Programs (§§ 1 — 343k) › Chapter 20B - Puerto Rico and Caribbean Cardiovascular Center Corporation (§§ 343 — 343k) › § 343j - Exclusions; regulations

The Corporation shall be excluded from the provisions of Act No. 5 of October 14, 1975, known as the “Puerto Rico Public Service Personnel Act”, as well as from the provisions of the Purchasing and Supply Act of the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and all the regulations promulgated by virtue thereof.
It shall, nevertheless, approve General Regulations to implement the provisions of this chapter within ninety (90) days immediately after its effective date. It shall also approve Personnel Regulations and Purchasing Regulations within the same term.
History —June 30, 1986, No. 51, p. 170, § 11.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 351 - Powers of Secretary of Health in cases of contagious disease

That the Secretary of Health may cause to be removed to proper places designated by him any person sick with a quarantinable disease, or any other rapidly spreading, contagious or infectious disease, and shall have the control of public hospitals for the treatment of such cases. He may occupy, for the purpose of provisional hospitals, such buildings as may be necessary, without prejudice to the subsequent payment to the owner of an indemnity, the amount of which shall be determined in accordance with the procedure established by law in like actions; and he may cause proper care and attention to be given to the sick persons removed to the hospitals, at the expense of the Commonwealth Government, as herein provided for, when it comes to his knowledge that such persons are too poor to defray the expenses of their attendance, or when it is necessary to take care of them in the interests of the public health. No person suffering from a quarantinable or other rapidly spreading, contagious or infectious disease shall be removed from a vessel, or from any other place set aside by competent authority for his isolation and treatment, without a written permit from the Secretary of Health or the official placed in charge of such vessel or place by the Secretary of Health. For the purpose of carrying out the duties prescribed by this section, the Secretary of Health, or any duly authorized physician employed in the Department of Health, may enter, at any time into private properties and dwellings for the inspection or examination of such premises, in accordance with the provisions of § 181 of Title 3.
History —Mar. 14, 1912, No. 81, p. 122, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 352 - Report to health officers of contagious diseases

Every person authorized to practice in Puerto Rico the profession of physician and surgeon, dental surgeon, and osteopath, and if the case has not been examined by a physician, practicantes, nurses, and midwives, are obliged to notify the local health officer of the district in which the patient resides, of the suspicion or the existence of any of the following diseases regarding which they may have gained knowledge in the course of their professional work: angina streptococcus (epidemic), anthrax maligna (pustula maligna), asiatic cholera, acute epidemic conjunctivitis, diphtheria, dysentery (amebic or bacillary), scarlet fever, yellow fever, typhoid fever, paratyphoid fever, food infections (caused by the ingestion of food contaminated with bacillus of the salmonicidus group, bacillus botulinus, staphylococcus, etc.), influenza, epidemic cerebrospinal meningitis, glanders, pneumonia (in all its forms), plague (bubonic, pneumonic, or septicemic), acute anterior poliomyelitis (infantile paralysis), measles, exanthematous typhus, smallpox, Vincent’s angina, chancroid, dengue, lethargic encephalitis (epidemic), Malta fever, puerperal fever, filariasis, tropical frambesia (buboes), gonorrhea, leprosy, malaria, ophthalmia neonatorum, epidemic parotiditis, psittacosis, rubeola (epidemic roseola), cutaneous syphilis, tetanus (including infantile form), whooping cough, tuberculosis, tularemia, chicken pox, and hydrophobia.
Provided, That in every case of a fever lasting over seven (7) days, without precise diagnosis, the attending physician shall be obliged to send to the Biological Laboratory of the Department of Health, or to a laboratory approved for such purposes by the Secretary of Health, samples of blood in order to investigate the existence of typhoid fever, paratyphoid or malaria; and, Provided further, That in every case of chronic bronchial catarrh lasting over two months, samples of the sputum shall be sent to one of the laboratories above mentioned, in order to investigate the presence of the bacillus of tuberculosis.
History —Mar. 14, 1912, No. 81, p. 122, § 28; May 7, 1935, No. 47, p. 332, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 353 - Inoculations obligatory

The inoculation of vaccine virus is hereby declared obligatory and binding upon all the inhabitants of the Commonwealth during such period and under such form and interval of time as the Secretary of Health may determine; the inoculation of any other organic, prophylactic, or therapeutic product in cases of epidemic being also obligatory.
History —Mar. 14, 1912, No. 81, p. 122, § 29; May 10, 1945, No. 156, p. 528, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 354 - Proclamation of epidemic—Powers of Secretary of Health

Where by proclamation of the Governor of Puerto Rico an epidemic shall be declared to exist in one or several municipalities, the Secretary of Health, immediately upon such declaration of an epidemic, shall take charge of the municipal sanitation of such municipality or municipalities so affected.
History —May 10, 1938, No. 157, p. 337, § 1.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 355 - Proclamation of epidemic—Municipal employees under Secretary of Health; suspension

In such case the Municipal Director of Charities and all employees under him shall cooperate with the Secretary of Health, under the direction of the latter, in the extinction of such epidemic.
The Governor of Puerto Rico, on recommendation of the Secretary of Health, may suspend any Commonwealth or municipal officer or employee who may be negligent in the performance of his duties in municipalities affected by any epidemic, during all the time that the epidemic may last, unless such suspension shall sooner be revoked by the same authorities by whom it was ordered.
History —May 10, 1938, No. 157, p. 337, § 2.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 356 - Proclamation of epidemic—Money for epidemic; loan

In case of an epidemic officially declared in one or several municipalities, the Governor of Puerto Rico is hereby empowered, on petition of the Secretary of Health, to dispose of such amounts as may be necessary, chargeable to the Commonwealth Treasury, up to the sum of two hundred thousand dollars ($200,000), or to contract, if necessary, a loan with a banking institution for the whole or part of that amount, for account of the Commonwealth.
History —May 10, 1938, No. 157, p. 337, § 3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 357 - Proclamation of epidemic—Payment by Secretary of the Treasury

The Secretary of the Treasury shall issue warrants for such amounts as may be necessary pursuant to § 356 of this title and he shall pay the same out of any funds existing in the Treasury of Puerto Rico not otherwise appropriated.
History —May 10, 1938, No. 157, p. 337, § 4.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 358 - Proclamation of epidemic—Termination of emergency powers

As soon as the epidemic shall have been extinguished, the Governor of Puerto Rico, on recommendation of the Secretary of Health, shall so officially declare, and thereupon the legal effects of §§ 354—358 of this title shall cease.
History —May 10, 1938, No. 157, p. 337, § 5.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 359 - Short title

Sections 359—359d of this title shall be known as the “Epidemic Diseases and Environmental Accidents Education and Information Access Protocol”.
History —Oct. 1, 2007, No. 137, § 1, eff. 90 days after Oct. 1, 2007.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 359a - Definitions

(a) Epidemic diseases. — Infectious diseases affecting a large number of persons in a given population or time.
(b) Environmental accidents. — Unexpected events directly or indirectly affecting the safety and health of the community involved and that have an impact on the environment. For the purposes of §§ 359—359d of this title, it is hereby determined that the following environmental accidents are classified as:
(1) Biological or technological disasters. — Catastrophes provoked by activities conducted by humans, to wit:
(A) Accidental spills. — These occur during the production, transportation or manipulation of hazardous chemical substances.
(B) Chemical explosions. — Violent destruction caused by the explosion of a combustible material, mostly of chemical origin.
(C) Pollution. — Degradation of one (1) or more aspects of the environment due to the action of industrial, chemical or biological wastes that are toxic in nature or residues or man made products and caused by a deficient ordinance of natural and environmental resources.
(D) Chemical pollution. — Sudden water or air contamination near industrial zones, which causes internal organ disorders with permanent skin injuries.
(E) Atmospheric pollution. — Atmospheric pollution caused by large quantities of gases, solids, and radiation produced by combustion of natural and artificial fuels, chemical products or other industrial processes and by natural explosions.
History —Oct. 1, 2007, No. 137, § 2, eff. 90 days after Oct. 1, 2007.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 359b - Establishment of protocol

The Department of Health is hereby directed to establish the following protocol to manage information related to epidemic diseases and environmental accidents:
(1) Initial assessment. — The Department of Health shall establish priorities to accurately determine the existence of epidemic diseases and environmental accidents.
(a) The most accurate information shall be immediately gathered.
(b) In subsequent days more accurate data provided by the established centers shall be collected.
(2) Health services available in the area shall be verified as well as the capacity of hospitals to receive patients.
(3) A survey shall be conducted in the hospitals of the area to identify high risk groups by age, sex, and pathological condition. Hospitals shall apply their respective protocols to manage the emergency cases to be attended.
(4) Determine the affected geographical area.
(5) The citizenry shall be informed, once the epidemic, biological disaster or environmental accident is determined and located.
(6) In the case of epidemic diseases:
(a) By mutual agreement with the Federal Telecommunications Agency, the first press release shall be broadcast through the radio and television systems attached to the Weather Bureau Network. Said press release shall be transmitted as often as necessary while the emergency lasts.
(b) Press fillers and television and radio spots shall be scheduled to broadcast accurate information to the population. Government radio and television stations shall participate prominently in the campaign.
(c) An Internet website shall be established and promoted through which the citizens shall be able to access complete and updated information on the situation:
(i) Descriptive profile of the affected population
(ii) Symptoms. — Methods for identifying affected people.
(iii) Prevention. — Orientation on the preventive action plans.
(iv) Vaccination. — If applicable, centers and schedules shall be announced.
(v) Hospitals, clinics, and treatment centers enabled to attend to cases associated to the emergency situation.
(7) In the case of environmental accidents in which, due to location, time, urgency or other reasons, it is not feasible to use the regular mass communications media, such as those stated in the previous subsection, the following measures shall be considered:
(a) Emergency Management Office (municipal or Commonwealth).— Use internal communication resources and systems of the agency to their maximum (radios, megaphones, etc.).
(b) National Guard. — The corps’ communications network.
(c) Red Cross. — The organization’s communications network.
(d) Box holder. — Handing out of brochures in government facilities.
(e) Voluntary expert groups. — Shall offer orientations through all the available media.
(f) Apply all protocols established by the different agencies, hospitals and expert organizations for emergency management.
History —Oct. 1, 2007, No. 137, § 3, eff. 90 days after Oct. 1, 2007.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 359c - Coordination

The Department shall coordinate with agencies related to emergency management for the compilation of data and the publication of information through all communication media when any type of epidemic or environmental accident occurs.
History —Oct. 1, 2007, No. 137, § [4], eff. 90 days after Oct. 1, 2007.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 359d - Report

The Department of Health shall prepare a complete report which shall include, without it being construed as a limitation, risk factors, forms of contagion, prevention and protection against or environmental accident that entails a health risk. This report shall be available for the purposes of scientific research and for the use of Commonwealth and federal agencies.
History —Oct. 1, 2007, No. 137, § [5], eff. 90 days after Oct. 1, 2007.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 21 - General Provisions; Epidemics (§§ 351 — 360) › § 360 - Kidney disease: calculation of glomerular filtration rate

(a) Clinical laboratories are hereby directed to calculate the glomerular filtration rate when examining seric creatinine concentration for the early detection of kidney disease; the results thereof shall be remitted to the physician who ordered the test, and that a report of said results shall be remitted on a monthly basis to the Department of Health and to the Puerto Rico Renal Council.
(b) The Department of Health shall design the forms to be used by laboratories to gather the data required by this section, and shall notify them the manner in which the same shall be completed.
(c) The Department of Health together with the Medical Science Campus and the Puerto Rico College of Medical Technologists shall establish the standard criteria for seric creatinine tests and the information to be included in the forms to be remitted.
History —Feb. 25, 2008, No. 18, §§ 1—3.
2023 Laws of Puerto Rico › TITLE TWENTY-FOUR - Health and Sanitation (§§ 1 — 15010) › PART II - Disease Control (§§ 351 — 697) › Chapter 22 - Nosocomial Infections (§§ 361 — 368) › § 361 - Definitions

For the purposes of this chapter, the following terms shall have the meaning stated below:
(a) Department. — The Department of Health of Puerto Rico.
(b) Health facilities. — Hospitals, health centers, diagnosis and treatment centers, nursing homes, long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, medical facilities for the mentally retarded, mental health centers, psychosocial rehabilitation centers, chronic disease hospitals, general hospitals, mental hospitals, and nonprofit health facilities, as defined in § 331a of this title. Furthermore, it shall mean outpatient health service facilities, which include the following outpatient services:
(1) Outpatient surgery, any independent institution or part of a hospital or diagnosis and treatment center that provides medical surgery services to patients who do not require hospitalization.
(2) Renal dialysis, including therapeutic diagnosis and rehabilitation services for patients with permanent kidney damage.
(3) Family planning and abortions, including family planning services, sterilization for both genders, and procedures to terminate pregnancies by persons authorized to practice medicine in Puerto Rico.
(4) Dental surgery services and/or those which:
(A) Are considered to be invasive in nature, or
(B) require the administration of anesthesia, except for local anesthesia.
(5) Weight loss and/or bodily esthetics services, when invasive procedures are used in rendering these services and/or when they require the administration of anesthesia.
(c) Person. — Any natural or juridical person, whether private or public.
(d) Secretary. — The Secretary of Health of Puerto Rico or his/her authorized representative.
History —June 21, 2007, No. 52, § 2.