Applicable laws in community health nursing
Public health laws
└ Enables a nuanced understanding of the role of
government in creating the conditions for
people to be healthy, the reasonable limits that
governments that may place on personal
freedom to promote the health of the
population
→ Includes local governments to create
ordinances (only applicable in a certain
city)
Focus:
└ Duty of the government to achieve these goals,
limits on that power, and the population
perspective
└ Legal issues in public health practice on the
public health effects of legal practice
→ Philippine medical act
→ Philippine nursing law
Five Essential Characteristics of PHL  to operate
└ Government's responsibility to defend against
health risks and promote the public's health;
└ The population-based perspective of public
health, emphasizing prevention;  → A municipal health officer will issue the
└ The relationship between the government and
the populace; 
└ The mission, core functions, and services of the
public health system; and  └ It shall be the duty of the Provincial, Municipal
└ The power to coerce individuals, professionals,
and businesses for the community's protection.
Ecological solid waste Act 9003 of 2002
└ Policy framework, institutional mechanisms and
mandate to the local LGUs to achieve 25%
waste reduction through establishing an
integrated solid waste management plan
based on 3Rs (reduce, reuse and recycling).
└ Reducing waste generation
└ Achieved if the LGUs have the high level of
political commitment, development of effective
local strategies in collaborative manner,
partnership building with other stakeholders,
capacity development, adequate financing
and incentives, and in the close monitoring and
evaluation of performance.
└ Ensure the proper segregation, collection,
transport, storage, treatment and disposal of
solid waste through the formulation and
adoption of the best environmental practice in
ecological waste management excluding
incineration
└ Promote national research and development
programs for improved solid waste
management and resource conservation
techniques
Clean air act: RA No. 8749
└ An act providing for a comprehensive air
pollution control policy
→ To protect and advance the right of the
people to a balanced healthful ecology
thru: Promotion& protection of global
environment to attain sustainable
development
→ Emission test for every car is required by this
law
→ Those who own cars should contribute in
taking care of the environment (there is an
environmental fee also)
└ Recognizes:
→ The primary responsibility of LGUs to deal
with environmental problems. The
responsibility of cleaning the habitat and
environment is primarily area-based.
→ The principle-"polluters must pay"
→ A clean and healthy environment is for the
good of all
Sanitation code: PD No. 856 (December 23, 1975)
└ The health of the people, being of paramount
importance, all efforts of public services should
be directed towards the protection and
promotion of health.
└ Need for updating and codifying our scattered
sanitary laws in keeping with modern standards
of sanitation 
└ No person or entity shall operate a food
establishment for public patronage without
securing a permit from the local health office.
→ An inspection is done first to secure a permit
└ No person shall be employed in any food
establishment without a Health Certificate issued
by the local health authority.
health certificate
Sanitation code: Section 31
or City Health Officer to cause an inspection
and evaluation of every food establishment
requiring a permit for its operations, at least
every six months
Generic Act: RA No. 6675
└ An act to promote, require and ensure the
production of an adequate supply, distribution,
use and acceptance of drugs and medicines
identified by their generic names
└ Require generic terminology - manufacture,
distribution, prescription & dispensing of drugs
└ Ensure the adequate supply of drugs at lowest
possible cost - make them available for free to
indigent patients encourage extensive use of
drugs w/ generic names
└ Emphasize scientific basis for the use of drugs
health professionals become aware of
therapeutic effectiveness
└ Promote drug safety by minimizing duplication
in medications.
└ Revocation of the permit to operate may ensue
if this is not followed
National health insurance act (PhilHealth law): RA
No. 7875
└ An act instituting a national health insurance
program for all Filipinos and establishing the
Philippine health insurance corporation for the
purpose
→ All Filipinos should be covered by this law
└ Principles:
└ To give priority to health - for faster economic
development & improving quality of life.
└ Provide citizens with mechanism to gain access
to health services.
└ Access to care must be according to a person's
health needs rather than his ability to pay
└ Meet the needs for personal health services at
various stages of a member's life
└ Enhance risk sharing among income groups
 → All members must pay, but retirees.
PWDs, mentally disabled are the
exemption
→ Minors are dependent to their insured
parents
Principles
└ Encourage members to choose from among
accredited health care providers
└ Compulsory Coverage- to avoid adverse
selection and social inequity
└ Cost Sharing-fair and equitable charges by
health care providers are reasonable
└ Cost Containment - means of helping pay for
health care services
└ Care for the Indigent - providing a basic
package of needed personal health services to
indigents through premium subsidy
Amendment of the Philhealth law
└ RA no. 9241 (February 10 2004)
└ An act amending republic act no. 7875 (section
4 thereof), otherwise known as "an act instituting
a national health insurance program for all
Filipinos and establishing the Philippine health
insurance corporation"
└ Provides exemptions:
→ Non-prescription drugs
→ Illness d/t the use of illegal drugs and
alcohol abuse
→ Cosmetic surgeries
→ Optometric services except for eye surgeries
→ Giving birth to the 5th child and beyond
National Blood Services Act: RA No. 7719
└ An act promoting voluntary blood donation,
providing for an adequate supply of safe blood,
regulating blood banks
→ Blood should not be sold, especially, if it
came from a donor
→ Gave red cross the authority to collect
blood
└ Promote and encourage voluntary blood
donation
└ To instill public consciousness (donation) - a
humanitarian act
└ Lay down legal principle that blood transfusion
is a professional medical service
└ Provide for adequate, safe, affordable and
equitable distribution of supply of blood inform
the public of the need for voluntary blood
donation
└ Teach the benefits and rationale of voluntary
blood donation
Mandates to the DOH:
└ Establish and organize a National Blood
Transfusion Service Network
└ Provide for adequate assistance to institutions
promoting voluntary blood donation  diethylamine (LSD), gamma
└ Require all blood collection units and blood
banks/centers to operate on a non-profit basis
└ Establish scientific and professional standards
for the operation of blood collection units and
blood banks/centers
└ Regulate and ensure the safety of all activities
relate to the collection, storage and banking of
blood
Law on Notifiable Diseases RA No. 11332
Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and
Health Events of Public Health Concern Act
└ Protect and promote the right to health of the
people 
└ Instill health consciousness
└ Protect the people from public health threats
through the efficient and effective disease
surveillance
└ For elimination and eradication of epidemics
Senior Citizens Law: RA NO. 9994
└ An act granting additional benefits and
privileges to senior citizens (amending RA no.
7432, as amended, otherwise known as "an act
to maximize the contribution of senior citizens to
nation building, grant benefits and special
privileges and for other purposes")
└ Recognize the rights of senior citizens to take
their proper place in society 
└ Give full support to the improvement of the total
well-being of the elderly
Privileges under Senior Citizens Law
20% discount and exemption from VAT (among
other privileges):
└ Purchase of medicines, some vaccines, other
essential medical supplies
└ PF of attending physician/s in all private
hospitals, medical facilities, outpatient clinics
and home health care services
└ Medical and dental services, diagnostic and
laboratory fees in all private hospitals, medical
facilities, outpatient clinics
└ Actual fare for land transportation travel 
└ Funeral and burial services
 
Revised Dangerous Drug Law: RA NO. 9165 (2002)
An act instituting the comprehensive dangerous
drugs act of 2002 (repealing ra no. 6425 [DDA of
1972])
Purposes:
└ To safeguard the well-being of citizenry (youth),
from the harmful effects of dangerous drugs 
└ Pursue an intensive and unrelenting campaign
against the trafficking and use of dangerous
drugs
Imprisonment and fine upon any person, who,
unless authorized by law, shall possess any of the ff
dangerous drugs:
└ Opium;
└ Morphine;
└ Heroin,
└ Cocaine or cocaine hydrochloride;
└ Methamphetamine hydrochloride or "shabu";
└ Marijuana resin or marijuana resin oil;
└ Marijuana, and
└ Methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDA) or
"ecstasy", paramethoxyamphetamine (PMA),
trimethoxyamphetamine (TMA), lysergic acid
hydroxyamphetamine (GHB), and similarly
designed drugs & their derivatives, w/o having
any therapeutic value
Act on Cheaper Medicine: RA No. 9502
└ "Universally Accessible Cheaper and Quality
Medicines Act of 2008"
└ An act providing for cheaper and quality
medicines (amending ra 8293 [intellectual
property code], ra 6675 [generics act of 1988),
ra 5921 [pharmacy law])
└ Adopt appropriate measures to promote and
ensure access to affordable quality drugs and
 medicines for all effective competition policy in
the supply and demand of quality affordable
drugs and medicines
└ Philippine National Drug Formulary
RA 7610
└ Special protection to children from all firms of
abuse, neglect, exploitation and discrimination
and other conditions, prejudicial their
development
└ Provide sanctions for their commission and carry
out a program for prevention and deterrence of
and crisis intervention in situations of child
abuse, exploitation and discrimination.
└ "Children" refers to person below eighteen (18)
years of age or those over but are unable to
fully take care of themselves or protect
themselves from abuse, neglect, cruelty,
exploitation or discrimination because of a
physical or mental disability or condition
Violence Against Women: RA NO. 9262
Anti-Violence Against Women and Children Act of
2004- an act defining violence against women and
their children providing for protective measures for
victims, prescribing penalties therefore  RA no. 10666- "children's safety on motorcycles act
Purpose: need to protect the family and its
members particularly women and children, from
violence and threats to their personal safety and
security against
└ Physical Violence  Purpose:
└ Sexual violence
└ Psychological violence
└ Economic abuse
└ Battery
Rooming in and breastfeeding act of 1992 (Milk
code)
The rooming-in and breastfeeding act of 1992-an
act providing incentives to all
Government and private health institutions with
rooming-in and breastfeeding practices
Purpose:
└ Adopts rooming-in as a national policy to
encourage, protect and support the practice of
BF
└ BF advantages - benefit the infant and the
mother  Purpose:
└ First preventive health measure that can be
given to the child at birth
└ Enhances mother-infant relationship
└ With exception to the mothers who does not
lactate
→ In this case, the pediatrician can prescribe
milk to the mother and baby
Responsible parenthood and health law of 2002
The Responsible Parenthood and Reproductive
Health Act of 2012- An Act providing for a National
Policy on Responsible Parenthood and
Reproductive Health
Purpose:
└ Protect and promote the right to health of
women
└ Especially mothers in particular
└ Protect and advance the right of families in
particular and the people in general
└ Recognizes and guarantees the promotion and
equal protection of the welfare and rights of
children, the youth, and the unborn
Mandatory infants and children health immunization
act of 2011
Mandatory infants and children health
immunization act of 2011- an act providing for
mandatory basic immunization services for infants
and children, repealing pd no. 996
└ A comprehensive, mandatory and sustainable
immunization program for vaccine-preventable
diseases for all infants and children
└ Covers the ff vaccine-preventable diseases:
→ Tuberculosis;
→ Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis;
→ Poliomyelitis;
→ Measles;
→ Mumps;
→ Rubella or German measles;
→ Hepatitis-B;
→ H. Influenza type B (HIB); and
→ Such other types as may be determined by
the Secretary of Health
Children Safety on Motorcycle Act of 2015
of 2015"-an act providing for the safety of children
aboard motorcycles
→ A child can ride a motorcycle once feet are
able to reach the foot rest of the motor and
is able to hold on tight on to the driver
└ Defend the right of children to assistance,
including proper care and nutrition, and special
protection from all forms of neglect, abuse,
cruelty, exploitation 
└ Proactive and preventive approach to secure
the safety of passenger children
Disaster Risk Reduction Management: RA No. 10121
Philippine disaster risk reduction and management
act of 2010 an act strengthening the Philippine
disaster risk reduction and management system,
providing for the national disaster risk reduction and
management framework and institutionalizing the
national disaster risk reduction and management
plan
└ Uphold the constitutional right to life and
property by addressing the root causes of
vulnerabilities to disasters 
└ Strengthening the country's institutional
capacity for disaster risk reduction and
management
└ Building the resilience of local communities to
disasters including climate change impacts
Children's Emergency Relief and Protection Act of
2016
Ra 10821-"children's emergency relief and
protection act" an act mandating the provision of
emergency relief and protection for children
before, during, and after disasters and other
emergency situations
└ Establish and implement a comprehensive and
strategic program of action to provide the
children and pregnant and lactating mothers
affected by disasters
ADOPTION LAW "Domestic Adoption Act of 1998
Policies:
└ To ensure that every child remains under the
care and custody of his/her parent(s) and be
 provide with love, care, understanding and
security towards the full and harmonious
development of his/her personality.  └ Instill health consciousness among our people to
└ Only when such efforts prove insufficient and no
appropriate placement or adoption within the
child's extended family is available shall
adoption by an unrelated person be
considered.
└ In all matters relating to the care, custody and
adoption of a child, his/her interest shall be the
paramount consideration in accordance with
the tenets set forth in the United Nations (UN)
Convention on the Rights of the Child.  └ To encourage those with proper qualifications
Domestic Adoption Act of 1998
Policies:
└ Safeguard the biological parent(s) from making
hurried decisions to relinquish his/her parental
authority over his/her child;
└ Prevent the child from unnecessary separation
from his/her biological parent(s);
└ Protect adoptive parent(s) from attempts to
disturb his/her parental authority and custody
over his/her adopted child.
└ Any voluntary or involuntary termination of
parental authority shall be administratively or
judicially declared so as to establish the status
of the child as "legally available for adoption"
and his/her custody transferred to the DSWD or
to any duly licensed and accredited agency
Republic Act 8043: The Inter-Country Adoption Act
of 1995
└ An act establishing the rules to
Govender-counter
└ To act as the central authority in matters
relating to inter-country adoption
└ to provide every neglected and abandoned
child with a family that will provide such child
with love and care as well as opportunities for
growth and development.
└ Adoption of Filipino children, and for their
purposes to provide every neglected and
abandoned child with a family that will provide
such child with love and are as well as
opportunities for growth and development.
└ If such children cannot be adopted by qualified
Filipino citizens or aliens, the State shall take
measures to ensure that inter-country adoptions
are allowed when the same shall prove
beneficial to the child's best interests, and shall
serve and protect his/her fundamental rights.
Foster Care Law
RA No. 10165- "Foster Care Act of 2012"-an act to
strengthen and propagate foster care
└ Provide every child who is neglected, abused,
surrendered, dependent, abandoned, under
sociocultural difficulties, or with special needs
with an alternative family that will provide love
and care as well as opportunities for growth
and development
Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 (RA 9211)
RA 9211-tobacco regulation act of 2003 an act
regulating the packaging, sale distribution, and
advertisements of tobacco products
└ To protect the populace from hazardous
products and promote the right to health and
instill health consciousness
Magna Carta for Health Worker (RA 7305)
Purpose: 
effectively er health programs and projects of
the government
└ To promote and improve the social and
economic well-being of the health workers, their
living and working conditions and terms of
employment
└ To develop their skills and capabilities be more
responsive and better equipped to deliver
health projects and programs
and excellent abilities to join and remain in
government service.
COPAR
└ A social development approach that aims to
transform the community from apathetic,
individualistic, voiceless poor INTO a dynamic,
participatory and politically responsive
community
└ Goal: From passive to active community
└ Developed from NGOs, 5-year renewable
contract within the community 
└ 5-year renewable contract within the
community
└ To promote SAME mnemonics
SAME
S- self-reliance
A- active community participation
M- mobilize the people
E- empower the community
Purposes of COPAR
└ Community development approach that allows
the community (participatory) to analyze
situations (research). Plan a solution, and
implement projects (action) utilizing the process
of community organizing.
Four importance of COPAR
1. Tool for community development
2. Offer alternative solutions to health problems 
3. Prepare people to take over management of
programs in the future.
└ People should be self-reliant and they should be
able to manage the implemented health
programs in the future. 
4. Community resources are mobilized
for community services.
└ All the organizers should be able to mobilize the
resources for the community to be able to
recognize the available resources in their
community
Four Principles of COPAR
1. Do people have the capacity to change.
└ Are they willing to change?
2. Do people possess the ability to bring change.
└ Potentials 
3. Base interest on the poorest sector. 
4. Lead to development of self-reliant community.
FOUR METHODS USED IN COPAR
1. ARAS
└ Action 
└ Reflection
└ Action 
└ Session  └
2. Consciousness raising
└ Awareness of the community people about
their problem (health, peace and order)
└ Identify problems
3. Participatory and mass based
4. Group centered
└ Vulnerable people  leadership skills, underserved families?
PRE-ENTRY PHASE (PPPF)
At NGO level
└ Formulation of institutional goals, objectives and
targets for the program.
└ Revision of curriculum
└ Training of faculty in COPAR
└ Coordinate participation of other department
within the institution
At the Community level  └ Community needing assistance.
A. Community consultations/dialogues
└ There should be a point person within the
community
└ There should already be a five-year plan before
the implementation of the interventions
B. Setting issues related to site selection
C. Development of criteria for site selection
CRITERIA in selecting community (DOPES) :(
└ Site must be:  ENTRY PHASE
1. Depressed and Underserved
2. Oppressed
3. Poor
4. Exploited
5. Struggling
└ Communities that are far-flung and are not
reached by health services, those who do not
have the means.
P (pre-entry phase) E (entry phase) D (diagnostic) O
(organization) C (community) S (strengthening)
Pre-Entry phase  → State your purpose for the community
└ Done before going to the community  → Inform them why you are doing COPAR
Activities:
└ Community consultation/dialogues related to
Site selection
└ Issue checking
→ Socioeconomic status of the community
is determined
→ Check the available health services
within the community
→ Peace and order - are we organizers
safe in the community?
→ If there are any problems within the
mentioned issues, COPAR may not be
possible.
→ Determine if the populace agrees to the
implementation of COPAR
└ Site selection: DOPES
└ Investigation: Preliminary Social Investigation
(PSI)
└ Departmental Networking: LGU/NGO/others
→ Identify linkages
→ Who can help the facilitators implement
the programs
Pre entry phase acronym
P- Profiling of the community and site selection
P- Pay courtesy call to the Mayor (chairman of the
municipal health), brgy. captain or chairman
P- PSI (Preliminary Social Investigation)  └ Team members will be selected, their role is
Organizers are not immersed in the community
yet; all data are only gathered through
secondary data (can be found in the municipal
halls)
F- Foster family selection
└ Criteria for foster family: No bad records in the
brgy., good reputation in the community, with
Criteria in selecting the community (continuation)
└ Site selection
└ Preliminary Site Investigation (PSI)
└ Identify contact person
└ Gather "Overview" of the demographic
characteristics, health
└ services and facilities of the community. F.
Networking with NGOs and other departments
└ Area must not have a serious peace and order
problem.
└ Willingness to be organized. 
1. Check vital statistics/can determine general
health status 
2. Malnutrition. rate
3. Lack of health facility/ health care provider 
4. Counter-part of the community. (support,
commitment, resources)
5. Accessible to transportation and communication
Activities
└ Integration with community residents
→ Live with the community people
→ Immersion with the community
→ Integration starts within the foster family
└ Deepening social investigation
→ Know the economic profile, health
benefits, determine community
problems, look for the root cause of the
present problems 
└ Information dissemination 
 
within their community
└ Group (CORE) formation
→ Choose people who are willing to
address the problems of the community
→ This will serve as leaders of the
community
→ They will serve as secondary leaders
when the facilitators are not around
Core group formation (CG)
Consist of identified potential leaders
└ Characteristics of a potential leaders
1. Respected community members
2. Responsible/committed
3. Willing to work for a desired change
4. Has good communication skills
5. Has wide "influence" to elite/ poor community
members
└ Self-awareness and leadership training (SALT) 
└ Coordination with other community
organization
└ Should have a wide influence-- both to the poor
and alta-- AKA dean vera, members of the
community
Diagnostic phase/ study phase
F - Focus on Team Selection
to gather data for the study
P- Preparation └ Plans
└ Training for the methods and techniques └ Medium/long-term goals
└ Planning for actual data gathering (where S - Setting up and institutionalizing financing
and from whom will the data be gathered?) scheme for community health programs/activities: 
D - Data Gathering H - Health Workers of the community’s continuous
└ Selecting members leaders 
└ Selecting techniques (e.g., fishbowl └ Community leaders
technique, tables, presentation, etc.) └ Community health workers
C - Community Validation └ Community residents
└ Are the data gathered correct and └ Community health organization members
accurate? └ Continuous trainings
A - Assessment and Prioritization → For the continuous implementation
└ Determine what is salient to the community of programs
depending on the data gathered

Organization and capacity building phase of the

community
Activities:
M- Meeting of the Community
E- Establishment of Officers
E- Election of Officers
T- Team Building Activities/ ARAS
I- Induction
N- functionalities of the Organization and
Committees
└ All members of the committees should know
their roles and responsibilities
G- Group Leaders Training
└ Train group leaders for them to continue
implementing the actions when facilitators
already leave the community

Community action phase

Activities:
W - Workers Establishment 
└ Development of criteria
└ Selection of CHW
└ Training of CHW
O - Organization Set Up
└ Linkages, networking referral system
└ P- project
└ I- implementation
└ M- monitoring
└ E- valuation
└ This is a cycle that continues until problems
are addressed
R - Resource Mobilization Scheme (initial
identification and implementation)
└ After identifying the problem and solution,
interventions may now be implemented
through the use of community resources
K- Okay

Sustenance and Strengthening Phase

Activities:
F - Formulation and ratification of constitution and
by laws
I - Identification and development of secondary
leaders
└ The first batch of trained leaders will now be
training secondary set of leaders
└ To allow continuous sustenance of the
programs
└ Also strengthens the community people
N - Networking/referral system Formulation
└ Linkages
I - Implementation development of:
└ Viable committees
→ Committees that work and function
→ They can work independently and
willingly
└ Management system