NCM 029 Leadership and Management in Nursing

Laws Affecting the Practice of Nursing in the Philippines

Law Title Description

1. RA 9173 Philippine Nursing Act of Main objective is to provide for
2002 protection and improvement of
nursing profession by
instituting measures that shall
result in relevant nursing
education, humane working
conditions, better career
prospects and dignified
existence for nurses.
2. RA 7160 Local Government Code This involves the devolution of
powers, functions and
responsibilities to the local
government both rural & urban.
The Code aims to transform
local government units into
selfreliant communities and
active partners in the
attainment of national goals
thru’ a more responsive and
accountable local government
structure instituted thru’ a
system of decentralization.
Hence, each province, city and
municipality has a LOCAL
HEALTH BOARD (LHB) which is
mandated to propose annual
budgetary allocations for the
operation and maintenance of
their own health facilities
3. RA 2382 Philippine Medical Act. This act defines the practice of
medicine in the country.

Objectives.- This Act provides

for and shall govern
(a) the standardization and
regulation of medical education;
(b) the examination for
registration of physicians; and

(c) the supervision, control and

regulation of the practice of
medicine in the Philippines
4. RA 1082 Rural Health Act. • It created the 1st 81 Rural
 Health Units.
• amended by RA 1891; more
physicians, dentists, nurses,
midwives and sanitary
inspectors will live in the rural
areas where they are assigned
in order to raise the health
conditions of barrio
people ,hence help decrease
the high incidence of
preventable diseases
5. RA 6425 Dangerous Drugs Act • It stipulates that the sale,
administration, delivery,
distribution and transportation
of prohibited drugs is
punishable by law.
• Under this Act, the Dangerous
Drugs Board (DDB) remains as
the policy-making and strategy-
formulating body in planning
and formulation of policies and
program on drug prevention
and control.
6. RA 9165 the new Dangerous Drug Act of • It is the policy of the State to
2002 safeguard the integrity of its
territory and the well-being of
its citizenry particularly the
youth, from the harmful effects
of dangerous drugs on their
physical and mental well-being,
and to defend the same against
acts or omissions detrimental to
their development and
preservation.
• In view of the foregoing, the
State needs to enhance further
the efficacy of the law against
dangerous drugs, it being one of
today's more serious social ills.
7. PD no. 651 Birth registration following • Requires that all health
delivery workers shall identify and
encourage the registration of all
births within 30 days following
delivery.

• Registration of births. All

babies born in hospitals,

8. RA 10152 Mandatory Infants and
Children Health Immunization
Act of 2011
9. PD NO. 825 Anti-improper garbae disposal
10. RA 8749 Clean Air Act of 2000
11. PD NO. 856 Code of Sanitation
maternity clinics, private
homes, or elsewhere within the
period starting from January 1,
1974 up to the date when this
decree becomes effective,
irrespective of the nationality,
race, culture, religion or belief
of their parents, whether the
mother is a permanent resident
or transient in the Philippines,
and whose births have not yet
been registered must be
reported for registration in the
office of the local civil registrar
of the place of birth by the
physician, nurse, midwife, hilot,
or hospital or clinic
administrator who attended the
birth or in default thereof, by
either parent or a responsible
member of the family or a
relative, or any person who has
knowledge of the birth of the
individual child.
• An act providing for
mandatory basic immunization
services for infants and
children, repealing for the
purpose of presidential decree
no. 996, as amended
• Provides penalty for improper
disposal of garbage.
• otherwise known as the
Philippine Clean Air Act, is a
comprehensive air quality
management policy and
program which aims to achieve
and maintain healthy air for all
Filipinos
• It provides for the control of
all factors in man’s environment
that affect health including the
quality of water, food, milk,
insects, animal carriers,
transmitters of disease, sanitary
and recreation facilities, noise,
pollution and control of
 nuisance
12. RA 6758 “Compensation and Position • Standardizes the salary of
Classification Act of 1989.” government employees
including the nursing personnel.
• It is hereby declared the policy
of the State to provide equal
pay for substantially equal work
and to base differences in pay
upon substantive differences in
duties and responsibilities, and
qualification requirements of
the positions. In determining
rates of pay, due regard shall be
given to, among others,
prevailing rates in the private
sector for comparable work.
13. RA 6675 Generics Act of 1988 • Which promotes, requires and
ensures the production of an
adequate supply, distribution,
use and acceptance of drugs
and medicines identified by
their generic name.
14. RA 6713 Code of Conduct and Ethical • It is the policy of the state to
Standards of Public Officials and promote high standards of
Employees ethics in public office. Public
officials and employees shall at
all times be accountable to the
people and shall discharges
their duties with utmost
responsibility, integrity,
competence and loyalty, act
with patriotism and justice, lead
modest lives uphold public
interest over personal interest.
15. RA 7305 Magna Carta for Public Health • This act aims: to promote and
Workers improve the social and
economic well-being of health
workers, their living and
working conditions and terms of
employment; to develop their
skills and capabilities in order
that they will be more
responsive and better equipped
to deliver health projects and
programs; and to encourage
those with proper qualifications
and excellent abilities to join

16. RA 8423 Traditional and alternative
Medicine Act of 1997
17. PD NO. 965 A DECREE REQUIRING
APPLICANT FOR MARRIAGE
LICENSE TO RECEIVE
INSTRUCTIONS ON FAMILY
PLANNING AND RESPONSIBLE
PARENTHOOD.
and remain in government
service.
• Created the Philippine
Institute of Traditional and
Alternative Health Care
• It is hereby declared the policy
of the State to improve the
quality and delivery of health
care services to the Filipino
people through the
development of traditional and
alternative health care and its
integration into the national
health care delivery system.
• It shall also be the policy of
the State to seek a legally
workable basis by which
indigenous societies would own
their knowledge of traditional
medicine. When such
knowledge is used by outsiders,
the indigenous societies can
require the permitted users to
acknowledge its source and can
demand a share of any financial
return that may come from its
authorized commercial use.
Requires applicants for
marriage license to receive
instructions on family planning
and responsible parenthood
There is hereby created in every
city and municipality an Office
of Family Planning to be headed
by the city or municipal health
officer. He shall be assisted by
the city or rural health nurse,
members of the city or rural
health unit, and such other
personnel from the different
agencies of the government
involved in the family planning
program, who shall perform
family planning duties in
addition to their regular duties.

18. PD NO. 79 National Policy on Population,
creating the Commission on
Population
19. 4A 4073 • advocates home treatment
for leprosy
20. L01 NO. 949
21. LOI NO. 2005-0014 National Policies on Infant and
Young Child Feeding:
Private entities or individuals
duly accredited by the
Commission on Population
engaged in family planning
activities may also be impressed
into the service
• Defines, objectives, duties and
functions of POPCOM
• The Government of the
Philippines hereby declares that
for the purpose of furthering
the national development,
increasing the share of each
Filipino in the fruits of economic
progress and meeting the grave
social and economic challenge
of high rate of population
growth, a national program of
family planning involving both
public and private sectors which
respect the religious beliefs and
values of the individuals
involved shall be undertaken.
• Persons afflicted with leprosy
not to be segregated. - Except
when certified by the Secretary
of Health or his authorized
representatives that the stage
of the disease requires
institutional treatment, no
persons afflicted with leprosy
shall be confined in a
leprosarium
• legal basis of PHC dated OCT.
19, 1979 • promotes
development of health
programs on the community
level
• All newborns be breastfeed
within 1 hr after birth
• Infants be exclusively
breastfeed for 6 months.
• Infants be given timely,
adequate and safe

22. EO 51 Phil. Code of Marketing of
Breast milk Substitutes
23. RA 7600 Rooming In and Breastfeeding
Act of 1992
24. AO No. 2006-0015
25. RA 7846 Immunization against Hep B
complementary foods
• Breastfeeding be continued
up to 2 years and beyond
• The Code applies to the
marketing, and practices related
thereto, of the following
products: breastmilk
substitutes, including infant
formula; other milk products,
foods and beverages, including
bottle-fed complementary
foods, when marketed or
otherwise represented to be
suitable, with or without
modification, for use as a partial
or total replacement of
breastmilk; feeding bottles and
teats. It also applies to their
quality and availability, and to
information concerning their
use.
• states the rules and
regulations which contain
standard procedures to be
followed for rooming-in and
breastfeeding in all private and
government health institutions.
• Specific provisions are made
for complicated births. The right
of the mother to breastfeed and
the right of the infant to receive
breast milk is expressed, and
mothers may only exercise their
right to bottle feed after being
fully informed of the benefits of
breastfeeding and by expressing
their intention to formula feed
in writing.
• defines the Implementing
guidelines on Hepatitis B
Immunization for Infants
• mandates Compulsory
Hepatitis B Immunization
among infants and children less
than 8 yrs old
26. AO No. 2006-0012
27. RA 8976 Food Fortification Law
28. RA 8291 Government Service Insurance
System Act of 1997
29. RA 6727 Wage rationalization
30. RA 7875 National health Insurance Act
of 1995
• specifies the Revised
Implementing Rules and
Regulations of E.O. 51 or Milk
Code, Relevant International
Agreements, Penalizing
Violations thereof and for other
purposes
• 1. To provide the basis for the
need for a food fortification
program in the Philippines: The
Micronutrient Malnutrition
Problem
• 2. To discuss various types of
food fortification strategies • 3.
To provide an update on the
current situation of food
fortification in the Philippines
Retirement under RA 8291
may be availed by those
who have rendered at least
15 years of service in
government and must be at
least 60 years of age upon
retirement. Also, they must
not be permanent total
disability pensioners. The last
three years of service need
not be continuous under RA
8291.
Creation of the National
Wages and Productivity
Commission. — There is
hereby created a National
Wages and Productivity
Commission, hereinafter
referred to as the
Commission, which shall be
attached to the Department
of Labor and Employment
(DOLE) for policy and
program coordination."
An act instituting a national
health insurance program
for all filipinos and
establishing the Philippine
Health Insurance
Corporation for the
purpose.