Laws Affecting Community Health

Nursing Practice
Health Laws Title Description Application/s to CHN
Practice
1. Republic Act Magna Carta for This act aims: to promote and improve the e.g., Community health nurse
7305 Public Health social and economic well-being of health performs his/her duty with
Workers workers, their living and working conditions utmost respect for life; and
and terms of employment; to develop their race, gender, religion,
skills and capabilities in order that they will be nationality, party policies,
more responsive and better equipped to social standing or capacity to
deliver health projects and programs; and to pay.
encourage those with proper qualifications and
excellent abilities to join and remain in
government service.
2. Presidential Code of Sanitation It provides for the control of all factors in man’s e.g., The community health
Decree N0. 856, environment that affect health including the nurse and health officer as
series 1975 quality of water, food, milk, insects, animal well promotes and preserves
carriers, transmitters of disease, sanitary and the health of the people and
recreation facilities, noise, pollution and control raise the health standards of
of nuisance individuals and communities
by enforcing the provisions
and the rules and regulation
of the code of sanitation
promulgated by the
Secretary
3. Presidential The Philippine It stipulates a comprehensive air quality
Decree No. Clean Air Act of management policy and program which aims to
8749 1999 achieve and maintain healthy air for all Filipino.
4. Republic Act Generic Act of Which promotes, requires and ensures the
6675 1988 production of an adequate supply, distribution,
use and acceptance of drugs and medicines
identified by their generic name.
5. R. A. 7875 National Health It provides all citizens of the Philippines with
Insurance Act the mechanism to gain financial access to
(Philhealth) health services and establish the Philippine
amended by RA Health Insurance Corporation, hereinafter
9241 and 10606 referred to as the Corporation, that will
administer the Program at central and local
levels.
6. R.A. 11223 Universal Health Ensure that all Filipinos are guaranteed
Care Bill equitable access to quality and affordable
health care goods and services, and protected
against financial risk.
7. R.A. No. 7719 National Blood Act Promotes voluntary blood donation to provide
of 1994 sufficient supply of safe blood and to regulate
blood banks. This act aims to inculcate public
 awareness that blood donation is a
humanitarian act.
8. R.A. No. 3573 The Law on Requires all individuals and health facilities to
Notifiable report notifiable diseases to national and local
Diseases health authorities. All diseases, syndromes, and
health-related events and conditions under the
PIDSR, including other diseases identified by
the DOH as notifiable shall be reported to
national and local public health authorities,
physicians, health workers, and the PMA
following the system flow of the respective
surveillance system
9. R.A. No. 9994 Expanded Senior (a) To recognize the rights of senior citizens to
Citizens Act of take their proper place in society and make it a
2003 concern of the family, community, and
government;
(b) To give full support to the improvement of
the total well-being of the elderly and their full
participation in society, considering that senior
citizens are integral part of Philippine society;
(c) To motivate and encourage the senior
citizens to contribute to nation building;
(d) To encourage their families and the
communities they live with to reaffirm the
valued Filipino tradition of caring for the senior
citizens;
(e) To provide a comprehensive health care and
rehabilitation system for disabled senior
citizens to foster their capacity to attain a more
meaningful and productive ageing; and
(f) To recognize the important role of the
private sector in the improvement of the
welfare of senior citizens and to actively seek
their partnership.
10. R.A. No. Dangerous Drugs - It stipulates that the sale, administration,
9165 Act of 2002 delivery, distribution and transportation of
prohibited drugs is punishable by law.
11. R.A. No. Universally Measures to promote and ensure access to
9502 Accessible affordable quality drugs and medicines for all.
Cheaper and
Quality Medicines
Act of 2008
12. R.A. No. Anti-Violence Values the dignity of women and children and
9262 Against Women guarantees full respect for human rights. The
and their Children State also recognizes the need to protect the
Act of 2004 family and its members particularly women and
children, from violence and threats to their
personal safety and security.
13. R.A. No. Philippine Disaster Uphold the people’s constitutional rights to life
10121 Risk Reduction and property by addressing the root causes of
and Management vulnerabilities to disasters, strengthening the
Act of 2010 country’s institutional capacity for disaster risk
reduction and management and building the
 resilience of local communities to disasters
including climate change impacts
14. R.A. No. Rooming-In and The following newborn infants shall be put to
7600 Breastfeeding Act the breast of the mother immediately after
of 1992 birth and forthwith roomed-in within thirty (30)
minutes.
a) well infants regardless of age of gestation;
and
b) infants with low birth weights but who can
suck.
Infants delivered by caesarian section shall be
roomed-in and breast-fed within three (3) to
four (4) hours after birth.
Infants whose conditions do not permit
rooming-in and breast-feeding as determined
by the attending physician, and infants whose
mothers are either: a) seriously ill; b) taking
medications contraindicated to breast-feeding;
c) violent psychotics; or d) whose conditions do
not permit breast-feeding and rooming-in as
determined by the attending physician shall be
exempted from the provisions.
It shall be the mother’s right to breast-feed her
child who equally has the right to her
breastmilk. Bottle-feeding shall be allowed
only after the mother has been informed by the
attending health personnel of the advantages
of breast-feeding and the proper techniques of
infant formula feeding and the mother has
opted in writing to adopt infant formula
feeding for her infant.
15. R.A. No. Responsible Recognizes and guarantees the human rights of
10354 Parenthood and all persons including their right to equality and
Reproductive nondiscrimination of these rights, the right to
Health Act of 2012 sustainable human development, the right to
health which includes reproductive health, the
right to education and information, and the
right to choose and make decisions for
themselves in accordance with their religious
convictions, ethics, cultural beliefs, and the
demands of responsible parenthood.
16. R.A. No. Mandatory Infants Provides a comprehensive, mandatory and
10152 and children sustainable immunization program for vaccine-
Health preventable diseases for all infants and
Immunization Act children.
of 2011 The mandatory basic immunization for all
infants and children provided under this Act
shall cover the following vaccine-preventable
diseases:
(a) Tuberculosis;
(b) Diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis;
(c) Poliomyelitis;
(d) Measles;
 (e) Mumps;
(f) Rubella or German measles;
(g) Hepatitis-B;
(h) H. Influenza type B (HIB); and
(i) Such other types as may be determined by
the Secretary of Health in a department
circular.
17. R.A. 10666 Children Safety on Requires a more proactive and preventive
Motorcycle Act of approach to secure the safety of passengers,
2015 especially children, by regulating the operation
of motorcycles along roads and highways.
18. R.A. 10821 Children’s Protects the fundamental rights of children
Emergency Relief before, during, and after disasters and other
and Protection Act emergency situations when children are gravely
of 2016 threatened or endangered by circumstances
that affect their survival and normal
development
19. P.D. No. 603 Child and Youth All children shall be entitled to the rights herein
Welfare Code of set forth without distinction as to legitimacy or
the Philippines illegitimacy, sex, social status, religion, political
antecedents, and other factors.
20. R.A. No. Tobacco Protect the populace from hazardous products
9211 Regulation Act of and promote the right to health and instill
2003 health consciousness among
them.
21. P.D. No. 996 Requires the compulsory immunization of all
children below 8 yrs. of age against the 6
childhood immunizable diseases.
22. P.D. No. 651 Requires that all health workers shall identify
and encourage the registration of all births
within 30 days following delivery.
23. P.D. No. 825 Provides penalty for improper disposal of
garbage.
24. P. D. No. 165 Requires applicants for marriage license to
receive instructions on family planning and
responsible parenthood.
25. A. O. No. National Policies 1. All newborns be breastfeed within 1
2005-0014 on Infant and hour after birth
Young Child 2. Infants be exclusively breastfed for 6
Feeding: months.
3. Infants be given timely, adequate and
safe complementary foods
4. Breastfeeding be continued up to 2
years and beyond
26. EO 51 Phil. Code of To ensure safe and adequate nutrition for
Marketing of infants by the protection and promotion of
Breast milk breastfeeding and by ensuring the proper use
Substitutes of breastmilk substitutes and breastmilk
supplements when these are necessary, on the
basis of adequate information and through
appropriate marketing and distribution.