Law Summary
Objectives
- Establish a comprehensive national policy guiding health and wellness programs for senior citizens.
- Facilitate coordinated national and local government actions.
Scope
- Applies to the Department of Health (DOH) and its attached agencies.
- Extends to local government units (LGUs), non-government organizations (NGOs), private sector, professional organizations, senior citizen groups, and other health sector partners.
Legal Basis and Mandate
- Draws from international frameworks: Madrid International Plan of Action on Aging and WHO Western Pacific Regional Framework on Aging and Health.
- Anchored in the 1987 Philippine Constitution, emphasizing affordable health services prioritizing underprivileged groups.
- Supported by Aquino Health Agenda striving for Universal Health Care (UHC).
- Guided by the Philippine Plan of Action for Senior Citizens (2012-2016).
- Enforced under Republic Acts 9257 and 9994 (Expanded Senior Citizens Act), providing legal benefits and privileges.
Key Definitions
- Aging: Lifelong biological and physiological progression.
- Health System: Inclusive of all entities promoting and maintaining health.
- Senior Citizen: Filipino resident aged 60 years or above, including dual citizens proving residency and citizenship.
Principles and Program Vision
- Vision: Improved quality of life through healthy, productive aging.
- Mission: Implement partnership-based health and wellness programs.
- Goal: Promote quality of life contributing to nation-building.
- Objectives include delivering focused health services, developing patient-centered standards, ensuring equitable financing, enhancing provider capacity, maintaining data and research, and strengthening coordination.
- Adopts WHO's four pillars: Age-friendly environments, promotion of healthy aging, reoriented health systems, and evidence-based policy-making.
Program Components
- Policy, Standards, and Regulation: Establish unified safety and accessibility standards for senior-friendly health facilities.
- Health Financing: Promote accessible funding schemes.
- Service Delivery: Guarantee access to geriatric preventive, curative, and rehabilitative health services.
- Human Resources: Build capacity of health providers and stakeholders.
- Health Information: Develop national data management and registry systems.
- Governance: Foster collaboration among agencies and stakeholders for effective service delivery.
Implementation Guidelines
- Aligns with Universal Health Coverage, National Objectives for Health, MDGs, and WHO regional frameworks.
- Managed as a program of the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau with a designated National Program Coordinator.
- A Technical Working Group (TWG) ensures coordinated and sustainable implementation.
- Integration with other health programs and collaborative partnerships with LGUs, NGOs, and academic institutions.
- Oversight by Assistant Secretary for Technical Services and the TWG chaired by the Disease Prevention and Control Bureau Director.
Roles and Responsibilities
- DOH Central Office: Develops policies, systems, and capacity-building initiatives.
- Disease Prevention and Control Bureau: Policy development, technical assistance, monitoring.
- Epidemiology Bureau and Knowledge Management: National reporting, surveillance, and registry development.
- Health Promotion and Communication Service: Formulate advocacy and IEC strategies.
- Health Policy Development and Planning Bureau: Integrate program into national plans and research agendas.
- Health Human Resource Development Bureau: Develop training standards for culturally sensitive care.
- Bureau of International Health Cooperation: Ensure global network participation.
- Bureau of Local Health Systems Development: Integrate program at local health system level.
- Health Facilities Development Bureau: Upgrade hospital capacities.
- Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau: Enforce safety standards and accreditation/licensing for geriatric facilities.
- Regional Offices: Lead regional implementation and assist LGUs.
- DOH Hospitals: Provide quality care and establish senior citizen wards.
- Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC): Develop appropriate health service packages.
- LGUs: Organize service delivery networks, legislate, and provide funding.
- NGOs, academia, civil society: Support, coordinate, and advocate program implementation.
- Donor and technical partners: Provide funding and technical support.
Funding
- DOH central and regional offices responsible for essential program funding.
- LGUs encouraged to provide counterpart funds.
- Other agencies, NGOs, and stakeholders urged to contribute financially.
Effectivity
- The Order becomes effective 15 days after publication in two newspapers of general circulation.