House approves bill mandating 'specialty centers' in DOH-run hospitals

The House of Representatives on Monday unanimously approved a bill establishing specialty centers in hospitals supervised and controlled by the Department of Health (DOH).

House Bill 7751, which mandates the DOH to prioritize the establishment of specialty centers for 17 fields, got 257 affirmative votes. 

"This bill will provide specialized health services to the general public by establishing specialty health care centers in select hospitals in all regions of the Philippines based on the prevalence and burden of diseases," the committee report on the measure read.

The specialty centers are:

• Cancer care
• Cardiovascular care
• Lung care
• Renal care and kidney transplant
• Brain and spine care
• Trauma care
• Burn care
• Orthopedic care
• Physical rehabilitation medicine
• Infectious disease and tropical medicine
• Toxicology
• Mental health
• Geriatric care
• Neonatal care
• Dermatology care
• Ear, nose and throat care
• Eyecare

Likewise, the bill provides that selected DOH hospitals will be designated as National Specialty Centers, Advanced  Comprehensive Specialty Centers, and Basic Comprehensive Specialty Centers for each of the specialties in accordance with the Philippine Health Facility Development Plan.

In addition, the bill mandates the establishment of at least one specialty center in every region within five years upon the effectivity of this Act based on the top burden of disease and special  needs in the area.

It also tasks the state-run national specialty centers, such as the Philippine Heart Center, National Kidney and Transplant Institute,  and Lung  Center of the Philippines to lead in the development of policies, protocols, and training for the specialty centers. —VAL, GMA Integrated News