SECTION 22.

Pro Bono Services for Indigent Women Private and non-government reproductive health care service providers, including but not limited to gynecologists and obstetricians, are mandated to provide at least forty-eight (48) hours annually of reproductive health services, ranging from providing information and education to rendering medical services free of charge to indigent and low income patients, especially to pregnant adolescents. These forty-eight (48) hours annual pro bono services shall be included as pre-requisite in the accreditation under the PhilHealth.

What does Pro Bono means? Pro bono publico (usually shortened to pro bono) is a phrase derived from Latin which means "for the public good". The term is generally used to describe professional work undertaken voluntarily and without payment as a public service. Pro bono service, unlike traditional volunteerism, uses the specific skills of professionals to provide services to those who are unable to afford them. Section 22 of the RH bill introduces pro-poor provision that includes health professionals being required to render 48 hours of pro bono reproductive health services to indigent women annually. It widens the access of indigents to basic health care services since many Filipinos cannot afford the cost of seeking medication. Most Filipinos choose spending for their basic necessities first over their health while many seek medical attention only after their conditions have gone worse. This section also stresses that there shall be priority for the needs of the indigent women and the State shall endeavor to provide free medical care to poor patients. If passed into law, an estimated half a million indigent pregnant women will be able to avail of free monthly pre-natal checkups for the whole nine months of their pregnancy. (Gabriela Women's Partylist Representative Emmi De Jesus)