Board of Midwifery

General practice of Midwifery. - Any person who shall practice midwifery in the
Philippines within the meaning of this Act without a certificate of registration
issued in accordance herewith, or any person presenting or using as his/ her own
certificate of registration of another or any person giving any false or forged
evidence to the Professional Regulation Commission in order to secure a
certificate of registration or any person using a revoked or suspended certificate
of registration or any person assuming, using or advertising, as a registered
midwife or a registered nursemidwife or appending to his/her name the letters
R.M. without having been conferred such title by the Professional Regulation
Commission or advertising any title description tending to convey the impression
that he/she is a registered midwife, shall be guilty of misdemeanor and shall,
upon conviction, be sentenced to a fine of not less that Ten thousand pesos
(P10,000.00) nor more than Thirty thousand pesos (P30,000.00), or to suffer
imprisonment for a period of not less that two (2) years nor more than seven
years, or both such fine and imprisonment at the discretion of the court. The
aforementioned penalty shall likewise be imposed upon any person found guilty
of violation of any rule & regulation issued pursuant to the provisions of this Act.

History

The practice of midwifery was first regulated in the Philippines with the
enactment of Public Act No. 310 on December 4, 1901. The law created the
Medical Board of Examiners which regulated both the medicine and midwifery
professions.

When Republic Act No. 2382 or the “Medical Act of 1959” was approved, the
regulation of midwifery was separated from medicine. A Board of Examiners for
Midwives was subsequently created with the enactment of Republic Act No. 2644
on June 18, 1960.

The first Board was composed of Valeriano B. Fugoso Jr. as Chairman and
Vicenta Castro-Ponce and Angelina I. Ponce as Members.

Midwife APO

ACCREDITED PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS

Integrated Midwives Association of the Philippines (IMAP)

Pinaglabanan corner Ejercito Streets
San Juan, Metro Manila
Tel No.: 70-35-35
Date of Accreditation : September 5, 1975
In 1947, a number of midwifery graduates from all over the country initiated an
alumni association to improve the midwifery profession. The organization, known
as the Philippine Midwifery Association (PHIMIDAS), was headed by Atty.
Angelina C. Ponce.

The PHIMIDAS held its first national convention in August 1961, an eventful
occasion that brought members of the Association together for the first time. The
event resulted to the formation of the National Federation of Filipino Midwives
(NFFM).

The NFFM was formally registered with the Securities and Exchange
Commission on August 22, 1961. Headed by Mrs. Leoncia Chuatoco, it intended
to promote more progressive midwifery profession and better health services to
the nation.

The increase in membership of the PHIMIDAS and NFFM gave birth to the
integration of the two organizations. As a result, the Integrated Midwives
Association of the Philippines (IMAP), Inc. was accredited by the Professional
Regulation Commission on September 5, 1975 as the national organization of
registered midwives. The IMAP was formally registered with the Securities and
Exchange Commission on March 17, 1976.

The passage of the Philippine Midwifery Law in 1992 is one of the major
accomplishments of the IMAP. In 1994, IMAP started as an annual tradition the
awarding of the “Ten Outstanding Midwives of the Philippines” in cooperation with
the Johnson & Johnson Philippines.

In 1992, the Association launched the IMAP Inc. Scholarship Program to benefit
the poor but deserving children of bona fide IMAP members and the IMAP, INC
Birthing Center for the poor and underscored pregnant mothers.

The Association worked for the distance learning or open university program of
the Bachelor of Science in Community Health or Bachelor in Community Health
Service at the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila and Trinity College, Quezon
City. The IMAP Foundation School of Midwifery was opened as a pilot school for
the three-year community-based midwifery curriculum in Jaro, Iloilo City.

With the issuance by the Civil Service Commission of its Certificate of

Accreditation on July 7, 1997, the IMAP became a full-fledged training institution
for midwives on maternal and childcare. This created an opportunity for
government-employed midwives to enhance their knowledge and skills in their
work and to utilize the CSC accreditation for future placement