Law Summary
Key Definitions Under the Act
- Disease: Illness due to toxic substances, occupational exposure, infectious agents affecting individuals directly or indirectly.
- Disease control: Reducing disease incidence/morbidity/mortality to acceptable local levels through intervention.
- Disease surveillance: Systematic data collection, analysis, interpretation, and dissemination for public health purposes.
- Emerging/re-emerging infections: Diseases new to humans, previously obscure, or resurging after control.
- Epidemic/outbreak: Higher than expected disease cases in a place or group during a given time.
- Health event of public health concern: Public health emergencies or threats due to biological, chemical, radiological, environmental agents.
- Mandatory reporting: Obligatory notification to health authorities regarding notifiable diseases and public health events.
- Public health authority: DOH bureaus, local health offices, or authorized representatives.
- Public health emergency: Occurrence or imminent threat causing large scale death/injuries, widespread exposure, or affecting international health or trade.
- Response: Activities to control disease spread, including investigations, treatment, risk communication, and prevention.
Objectives of the Act
- Continuously update list of notifiable diseases and case definitions.
- Establish and maintain efficient disease surveillance and response at national and local levels.
- Expand collaboration beyond traditional health sectors (e.g., agriculture, law enforcement).
- Provide timely health information for public awareness and emergency response.
- Ensure collaboration among government health agencies for prompt investigation and containment.
- Grant statutory powers for mandatory reporting, investigations, quarantine, and rapid containment.
- Provide funding for epidemiology and surveillance units across government levels and health facilities.
- Require active participation from a broad range of stakeholders including medical professionals, institutions, and NGOs.
- Respect individuals' rights to liberty, bodily integrity, and privacy while preserving public health.
Notifiable Diseases and Health Events
- The DOH Epidemiology Bureau regularly updates a list of notifiable diseases and health events with defined case criteria.
- Selection and removal are based on criteria established by the DOH.
Mandatory Reporting and Surveillance Systems
- DOH and local counterparts mandated to implement mandatory reporting and maintain disease surveillance systems.
- Institutionalized systems include FHSIS and PIDSR with case-based and event-based surveillance.
- Wide range of entities including private and public health workers, institutions, workplaces, schools, ports, NGOs must immediately report notifiable diseases.
- Data privacy is ensured but authorized personnel may collect and disseminate data for public health uses exempted from Data Privacy Act accessibility rules.
- Authorized DOH personnel empowered to conduct investigations, specimen collection, containment, quarantine, and response.
- Surveillance and response officers must be adequately trained and protected.
- Rights of individuals must be respected during surveillance activities.
Declaration of Epidemic or Public Health Emergency
- The DOH Secretary can declare national or international epidemics unless national security is at risk, then the President can declare.
- Local health offices may declare outbreaks within their jurisdiction based on sufficient scientific evidence, including epidemiologic and laboratory investigations.
Establishment of Epidemiology and Surveillance Units (ESUs)
- ESUs shall be functional across DOH levels, local governments, health facilities, laboratories, ports, and airports nationwide.
- Responsibilities include verifying reports, epidemiologic information dissemination, coordinating responses, and capacity building.
- ESUs must have trained personnel and adequate resources including PPE, logistics, and health insurance.
Prohibited Acts
- Unauthorized disclosure of confidential patient medical information.
- Tampering with or providing misinformation in records.
- Non-operation of disease surveillance systems.
- Non-cooperation by persons or entities required to report or respond.
- Exceptions to confidentiality rules apply only to legal court orders.
Penalties for Violations
- Fines ranging from P20,000 to P50,000 or imprisonment from one to six months, or both.
- Suspension or revocation of medical licenses by the Professional Regulation Commission for medical professionals.
- Suspension or revocation of civil service eligibility for public servants.
- For institutions, responsible officers held liable and business permits/licenses to operate may be cancelled.
Appropriations
- Initial implementation costs charged to DOH's current appropriations.
- Continued funding to be included in the annual General Appropriations Act.
Implementing Rules and Regulations
- DOH tasked to issue implementing rules within 120 days after the Act's approval.
Separability Clause
- Invalid provisions of the Act do not affect the validity and effectivity of the remaining provisions.
Repealing Clause
- Repeals Act No. 3573 (Law on Reporting of Communicable Diseases) and other inconsistent laws or regulations.
Effectivity
- The Act takes effect 15 days after publication in the Official Gazette or a general circulation newspaper.