THE House Committee on Health presided by vice chairperson Rep. Peter Miguel (2nd District, South Cotabato) on Wednesday approved the substitute bill to three measures seeking to strengthen the practice of traditional medicine in the country.
The three measures are House Bills (HBs) 3111, 5032 and 5694 authored by Reps. Rosanna “Ria” Vergara, Richard Gomez and Michael Romero.
Vergara cited data showing that over 15% of the Philippine population rely on traditional and complementary medicine for their primary healthcare needs, especially in rural areas where conventional medical facilities are scarce.
She noted that the practice lacks safeguards and the agency created to promote the practice, the Philippine Institute of Traditional and Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), does not have regulatory powers.
“This underscores the urgency and importance of ensuring that these alternative and traditional medicines options are safe and effective,” Vergara said, adding that the proposed legislation will introduce government regulation to the traditional and complementary medicine sector, establish prohibited acts and define corresponding penalties.
The objectives of the substitute bill entitled “Traditional and Complementary Medicine Act” include encouraging scientific research and development on traditional and complementary healthcare systems that have direct impact on public healthcare; promoting the use of traditional, complementary, preventive and curative health care modalities proven safe and effective, cost-effective and consistent with government standards and medical practice; and developing and coordinating training courses for various forms of traditional and complementary health care modalities, among others.
Dr. Ma.Teresa Iñigo of the PITAHC thanked the committee for its effort to further develop the substitute bill.
The committee also directed its secretariat to conduct technical consultations for HB 1978, or the proposed measure to be known as the “Care for Nurses Welfare Act.”
The bill, authored by Rep.Patrick Michael Vargas (5th District, Quezon City), seeks to promote the rights and welfare of nurses by regulating and limiting their consecutive hours of work.
