HISTORY OF PUBLIC HEALTH AND

PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING IN THE

PHILIPPINES
Records of public health services in the Philippines
date back to the Spanish Regimen.

In 1577, Franciscan friar Juan Clemente opened a

medical dispensary in Intramuros for the indigent.

In 1960, Dominican Father Juan Pergero worked

toward installing water system in San Juan de Monte
and Manila.
Smallpox vaccination was introduced by Dr. Francisco
de Balmis, the personal physician of King Charles IV of
Spain who came to the Philippines in 1805.

Medicos titulares – Provincial Health Officer

- A 2-year course consisting of

fundametal medical and dental sunjects first
offered in the UST in 1888.
- Graduates are known as cirujanos
minsitrantes served as male nurses and
sanitation officer.
In 1901, the US Philippine Commission through Act
157 created Board of Health of the Philippine Islands
with a Commissioner of Public Health as its chief
executive officer ----------------- > Department of
Health

Subsequently, municipal and provincial boards of

health were formed

In 1915, the PGH began to extend public health

nursing services in the homes of patients by
organizing Social and Home Care Service
Government Effort includes Puericulture centers

Founded by Asociation Feminista Filipina in 1905, La

Gota de Leche was the first center dedicated to the
service of mothers and babies.

Just before World War II broke out, municipal and

charity clinics were set up, manned by either
physician, nurse or midwife
In 1947, DOH was reorganized as beaureus:
quarantine, hospital that took charge of municipal and
charity clinics and health sanitary divisions under it

In 1954, Congress passed RA 1082, or the Rural Health

Act that provided the creation of Rural Health Unit

In 1958, regional health offices were created as a result

of decentralization efforts
In 1970, the Philippine Health Care Deivery System
was restructured, paving the way for health care
system that exist to this day where health services are
classified into primary, secondary and tertiary levels.

RA 7160 – Local Government Coe, to be able to attain

the fullest development of the Local Government
Units as a self- reliant and make more effective
partners in the attainment of the national goals.
The Philippines is a signatory of the UN Millennium
Declaration adopted during the World Summit in
September 2000. The member nation committed
themselves to the attainment of the 8 MDG’s.

The Department of Health has directed efforts

towards comprehensive reforms in the health care
with the HSRA launched in 1999 through its
implementation framework, FOURmula One for
Health in 2005, Universal Health Care in 2010.
Universal Health Care aims to achieve the health
system goals of better health outcomes sustained
health financing, and responsive health system that
will provide equitable access to health care. It is an
approach to health reform implementation
deliberately focused on economically disadvantaged
Filipinos to ensure that they are given risk protection
through enrollment in PhilHealth and that they are
able to access affordable and quality health services.