Appointment and Qualifications of Key Officials
- Commissioner of Public Health: a qualified physician with a medical degree, salary $6,000/year.
- Sanitary Engineer: city engineer of Manila, salary $3,500/year.
- Chief Health Inspector: qualified physician, salary $3,500/year.
- Secretary of the Board: qualified physician, salary $2,500/year.
- All appointments made by the Commission.
Powers and Responsibilities of the Board of Health
- Supervises all public health interests and studies vital statistics in the Philippines.
- Investigates causes, pathology, and prevention of diseases, including epidemic and zoonotic diseases.
- Researches effects of habits, occupations, foods, and local conditions on health.
- Disseminates useful health information to the public.
- Drafts and recommends sanitary laws related to medical practice, pharmacy, dentistry, midwifery, embalming, dangerous industries, and health service expansion.
- Prosecutes violations of sanitary laws.
- Requires reports and data from health boards, public institutions, and places of public resort; refusal to comply is a misdemeanor with penalties.
- Enforces regulations to prevent and suppress contagious or epidemic diseases; abates health nuisances; exercises quarantine powers, especially where no local boards exist.
- Engages experts for sanitary services and investigations within appropriated funds.
- Decides on laboratory locations for vaccine and serum production; oversees distribution under the Commissioner’s direction.
- Acts as the local board of health for Manila.
Duties and Authority of the Commissioner of Public Health
- Chief executive officer with general supervision and control of Board activities.
- Appoints authorized employees, subject to Civil Service regulations.
- Provides staffing and funding estimates to the central legislative body.
- Requires and reviews annual and special reports from officers.
- Supervises hospitals for infectious diseases; provides for detection, isolation, vaccination, and epidemic suppression.
- Reports annually to the Chief Executive on sanitary conditions, Board activities, and financial accounts.
Role and Functions of the Chief Health Inspector
- Conducts regular inspections of municipal health boards, sanitation, public institutions, and places of public resort.
- Ensures sanitation of sewers, streets, garbage collection, dead animals, night soil, houses, factories, markets, prisons, and other public facilities.
- Authorized to enter premises for inspection purposes.
Responsibilities of the Sanitary Engineer
- Prepares plans and specifications for municipal waterworks, drainage, sewer systems, crematories, and disinfecting apparatus in Manila.
- Supervises construction and installation of such public sanitary works.
- Certifies completion and conformity to plans before acceptance by municipal government.
- Advises other municipalities on sanitary engineering works when requested.
Administrative Functions of the Secretary
- Maintains records and compiles statistics of the Board.
- Performs usual secretarial duties.
Laboratory and Scientific Work
- Biological and chemical analyses conducted in Government biological and chemical laboratories.
- Staffed by either regular laboratory personnel or Board employees as determined by the Commissioner.
Implementation and Legal Effect
- The Act becomes effective immediately upon passage.
Penalties for Noncompliance
- Failure to provide requested information to the Board is a misdemeanor punishable by a fine up to $100 or imprisonment up to 3 months, or both.