MANILA – The House of Representatives has passed on its second reading a bill proposing the establishment of apex hospitals in every region nationwide to boost the Philippine health delivery system.
The chamber approved House Bill 10650 during Tuesday’s plenary session, which provides for the conversion of regional hospitals, which are general hospitals that have at least 500 beds, to operate as apex hospitals.
As defined in the bill, an apex hospital is an end-referral hospital offering specialized services and is contracted as a stand-alone facility by the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation.
The bill provides for the minimum physical facilities, equipment and instruments, and service delivery requirements for all apex hospitals.
At the very least, all apex hospitals must have an ambulatory surgical clinic, anatomic and clinical laboratory, blood station, dialysis facility, general intensive care unit, high risk pregnancy unit, isolation facilities, neonatal intensive care unit, nuclear medicine facility, physical medicine and rehabilitation facility, psychiatry facility, radiologic facilities, and surgical facility and maternity facility, among others.
All apex hospitals shall offer services for all kinds of illnesses, diseases, injuries, or deformities.
It must have certified and eligible medical specialists to provide clinical services and basic emergency care in a timely, efficient, affordable, and accessible diagnosis and treatment.
At least one medical specialist shall be assigned for cardiology, neurology, oncology, pathology, pulmonology, psychiatry, rehabilitation medicine, and urology, among others.
