Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 2382)
The Act aims to standardize and regulate medical education, conduct the examination for registration of physicians, and supervise, control, and regulate the practice of medicine in the Philippines.
The Board of Medical Education consists of the Secretary of Education as chairman or his duly authorized representative, the Secretary of Health or his representative, the Director of the Bureau of Private Schools or his representative, the chairman of the Board of Medical Examiners or his representative, a representative of private practitioners recommended by a recognized medical association, and a representative chosen by the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities.
Students must have a bachelor of science or arts degree or equivalent, having completed courses in specified subjects with corresponding units, and comply with certain conditions regarding the duration and performance in preparatory medical courses.
A candidate must be a Filipino citizen or a foreigner whose country allows Filipino physicians to practice reciprocally, of good moral character, sound mind, not convicted of offenses involving moral turpitude, and a holder of a Doctor of Medicine degree from a recognized college.
Practice of medicine includes physically examining any person for compensation or not, diagnosing, treating, operating, prescribing remedies for any human disease or condition, using the title M.D., or advertising medical services.
Yes. Exemptions include medical students under supervision, registered dentists practicing dentistry, registered masseurs or physiotherapists applying treatments under physician’s orders, registered optometrists limited to mechanical eye fittings, persons rendering emergency services gratuitously, persons administering household remedies, and psychologists operating in conjunction with registered physicians.
Members must be natural-born Filipinos, duly registered physicians with at least ten years of practice, of good moral character and recognized standing in the profession, not faculty members in medical schools, without pecuniary interests in medical colleges, with limitations on affiliations.
Grounds include conviction of crimes involving moral turpitude, immoral or dishonorable conduct, insanity, fraud, gross negligence, addiction impairing competence, unethical advertisements, performing or aiding criminal abortion, issuing false medical certificates, harming other physicians’ reputation without cause, acting as dummy for unqualified persons, and violation of the Code of Ethics.
Any person practicing medicine without proper registration may be punished by a fine ranging from one thousand to ten thousand pesos, subsidiary imprisonment if insolvent, imprisonment from one to five years, or both fine and imprisonment at court’s discretion.
Charges under oath must be served within five days to the respondent, and the Board must conduct the investigation within five days of receipt. Investigations require at least four Board members and adhere to existing rules of evidence, ensuring rights to counsel, speedy and public hearing, confrontation and cross-examination of witnesses, and other constitutional guarantees.