Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health Concern Act

sachale TOffice of the secretare TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session ) 25 AUG 27 A9:20 SENATE RECEIVED BY: 1258 S. No._ Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda AN ACT PROVIDING POLICIES AND PRESCRIBING PROCEDURES TO PREVENT, CONTROL, AND RESPOND TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11332, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MANDATORY REPORTING OF NOTIFIABLE DISEASES AND HEALTH EVENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN ACT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES EXPLANATORY NOTE The 2019 Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) has infected more than five hundred forty-five million individuals and has claimed the lives of more than six million worldwide in two (2) years.! Notable variants of the virus have emerged since the World Health Organization (WHO) declared COVID-19 as a pandemic in 2020. The new variants are reported to be more aggressive and contagious, increasing pressure on global health systems and the economy. In the Philippines alone, as of July 14, 2022, COVID-19 has infected more than three million seven hundred thousand Filipinos (3,723,014 confirmed cases) and has claimed the lives of more than sixty thousand six hundred others (60,640 deaths).2 The COVID-19 pandemic has brought lasting social and economic losses to the government, the private sector, and even individual Filipinos. Public health measures and mitigation interventions have been established. However, there were noted policy gaps that must be immediately addressed. With this, there is a need to update policies, World Health Organization Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard as of July 4, 2022. https://covid19.who.int/ 2 COVID-19 Tracker as of July 14, 2022 | Department of Health website (doh.gov.ph)

align processes, and establish a response system for effective and immediate measures to analyze, address, and prevent public health and safety threats. This bill seeks to provide additional measures to preserve the health of the Filipino people, ensure health promotion, and respond effectively in the event of the emergence or re-emergence of an infectious disease. In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought. LOREN LEGARDA

Oftice of the encretary TWENTIETH CONGRESS OF THE ) REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session AUG 27 A9:20 SENATE RECEIVED BY: s. No. 1258 Introduced by Senator Loren Legarda AN ACT PROVIDING POLICIES AND PRESCRIBING PROCEDURES TO PREVENT, CONTROL, AND RESPOND TO INFECTIOUS DISEASES, AMENDING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 11332, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE MANDATORY REPORTING OF NOTIFIABLE DISEASES AND HEALTH EVENTS OF PUBLIC HEALTH CONCERN ACT, AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Republic of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

Section. 1. Section 4 of Republic Act No. 11332, otherwise known as the

2 Mandatory Reporting of Notifiable Diseases and Health Events of Public Health 3 Concern Act, "is hereby amended as follows: "SEC. 4. Objectives. - This Act shall have the following objectives: (a) To continuously develop and upgrade the list of nationally notifiable diseases and health events of public health concern with their corresponding case definitions and laboratory confirmation; (b) To ensure the establishment and maintenance of relevant, efficient, and effective disease surveillance and response system at the national and local levels; (c) To expand collaborations beyond traditional public health partners to include others who may be involved in the disease surveillance and response, such as agricultural agencies,

veterinarians, environmental agencies, law enforcement entities, and transportation and communication agencies, among others; (d) To provide accurate and timely health information about notifiable diseases and health-related events and conditions to citizens and health providers as an integral part of response to public health emergencies; (e) To establish effective mechanisms for strong collaboration with national and local government health agencies to ensure proper procedures are in place to promptly respond to reports of notifiable diseases and health events of public health concern, including case investigations, treatment, control, and containment, including APPROPRIATE RESTRICTIONS ON DOMESTIC AND INTERNATIONAL TRAVEL, AND follow-up activities; (f) To ensure that public health authorities have the statutory and regulatory authority to ensure the following: (1) Mandatory reporting of reportable diseases and health events of public health concern; (2) Epidemic/outbreaks and/or epidemiologic investigation, case investigations, patient interviews, review of medical records, contact tracing, specimen collection and testing, risk assessments, laboratory investigation, population surveys, and environmental investigation; (3) RAPID quarantine and isolation; and (4) Rapid containment and implementation of measures for disease prevention and control; (g) To provide sufficient funding to support operations needed to establish and maintain epidemiology and surveillance units at the DOH, health facilities and local government units (LGUS); efficiently and effectively investigate outbreaks and health events of public health concern; validate, collect, analyze and

disseminate disease surveillance information to relevant agencies or organizations; and implement appropriate response; (h) To require public and private physicians, allied medical personnel, professional societies, hospitals, clinics, health facilities, laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, private companies and institutions, workplaces, schools, prisons, ports, airports, establishments, communities, other government agencies, and non-government organizations (NGOs) to actively participate in disease surveillance and response, AND PREVENTION MEASURES; [and] (i) To respect to the fullest extent possible, the rights of people to liberty, bodily integrity, and privacy while maintaining and preserving public health and securityL-J; (J) TO PROMOTE AND MAINTAIN PHYSICAL AND MENTAL HEALTH AND PROTECT FRONTLINE HEALTH WORKERS AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS BY PRESCRIBING NECESSARY POLICIES IN THE EVENT OF THE EMERGENCE OR RE-EMERGENCE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES; (K) TO ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT POLICIES AND MEASURES TO CONTROL THE SPREAD AND PREVALENCE OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES; (L) TO CONTINUOUSLY PROVIDE AND DEVELOP INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO ADDRESS THE NEEDS OF THE PUBLIC WHILE ADAPTING TO THE PREVAILING CIRCUMSTANCES; AND (M) TO ESTABLISH EFFECTIVE MECHANISMS AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO RESPOND ACCURATELY AND IMMEDIATELY TO EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES WITHIN AND OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY."

Sec. 2. A new Section 6 shall be inserted, to read as follows, and the succeeding

2 sections shall be renumbered accordingly: "SEC. 6. SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING. - THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH (DOH) SHALL ENSURE THE PREVENTION AND CONTROL OF INFECTIOUS DISEASES BY PROVIDING AND DISSEMINATING RELEVANT INFORMATION THROUGH CONSTANT SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING OF EMERGING AND RE-EMERGING INFECTIOUS DISEASES, WHICH MAY POSE THREATS TO PUBLIC HEALTH, SAFETY, AND SECURITY. THE DOH SHALL PROVIDE THE PUBLIC WITH TIMELY INFORMATION PERTAINING TO HEALTH CONCERNS AND PRESENT RESPECTIVE PARTICULARITIES AND CASE DEFINITIONS. IT SHALL LIKEWISE CONDUCT MASS TESTING FOR EARLY PREVENTION AND CONDUCT PERIODIC REPORTING ON RESULTS FOR EFFECTIVE RISK COMMUNICATION AND IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND MITIGATION OF SAID THREAT TO PUBLIC HEALTH."

Sec. 3. A new Section 7 shall be inserted, to read as follows, and the succeeding

sections shall be renumbered accordingly: "SEC. 7. PREPAREDNESS, PREVENTION, AND CONTROL. - THE FOLLOWING MEASURES SHALL BE PERFORMED UPON CONFIRMATION AND VERIFICATION OF THE EMERGENCE OR RE-EMERGENCE OF AN INFECTIOUS DISEASE WITHIN OR OUTSIDE THE COUNTRY. (A) THE DOH AND ITS LOCAL COUNTERPARTS SHALL BE MANDATED TO PROVIDE NATIONAL AND LOCAL HEALTH STRATEGIES AND MEASURES TO PREPARE AND CURB THE SPREAD OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE;

(B) THE DOH SHALL PUBLISH A LIST OF EXPERTS AND MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS ON INFECTIOUS DISEASES TO BE CONSULTED AND MOBILIZED; (C) THE DOH SHALL ENSURE THAT THERE IS AN AMPLE SUPPLY OF MEDICAL EQUIPMENT, PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT, AND MEDICINES IN ALL HOSPITALS, RURAL HEALTH UNITS, AND MEDICAL FACILITIES; (D) THE DOH SHALL PROVIDE STRATEGIES TO ENSURE THE DIAGNOSTIC AND TREATMENT CAPACITY OF HOSPITALS, RURAL HEALTH UNITS, AND MEDICAL FACILITIES TO HANDLE THE SURGE IN CASES WHILE ENSURING CONTINUITY OF ESSENTIAL HEALTH SERVICE DELIVERY; (E) THE DOH SHALL LEAD THE PROMPT CONDUCT OF RISK ASSESSMENT TO IDENTIFY HIGH-RISK AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS, AND CONTINGENCY PLANNING, IN COORDINATION WITH THE NATIONAL DISASTER RISK REDUCTION COUNCIL (NDRRMC), DEPARTMENT OF INTERIOR AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT (DILG), AND OTHER GOVERNMENT INSTRUMENTALITIES. THE CONTINGENCY PLAN SHALL INCLUDE MEASURES TO RECONFIGURE HEALTH FACILITIES AND REPURPOSE PUBLIC AND PRIVATE FACILITIES TO PROVIDE SAFE AREAS FOR EMERGENCY CASE MANAGEMENT, QUARANTINE, AND ISOLATION; (F)THE DOH SHALL ISSUE PARAMETERS AND GUIDELINES ON CASE REPORTING, MONITORING, AND CASE HANDLING, AS WELL AS ESTABLISH HEALTH AND SAFETY PROTOCOLS. LGUS AND GOVERNMENT AGENCIES AND INSTRUMENTALITIES ARE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH SUCH GUIDELINES;

(G) THE DOH AND ITS LOCAL COUNTERPART SHALL ESTABLISH INTEROPERABLE MONITORING MECHANISMS AND CONTINUOUS INFORMATION SYSTEMS TO MONITOR POTENTIAL AND CONFIRMED CASES OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE, LOCALLY AND NATIONALLY. (H) THE DOH SHALL EMPLOY THE USE OF TECHNOLOGICAL SOLUTIONS, WHERE POSSIBLE, SUCH AS TELEMEDICINE, TO MONITOR PATIENTS AND PROMOTE REMOTE CONSULTATION, TO MINIMIZE RISK TO PATIENTS, (I)THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT AND LGUS SHALL CONDUCT PREVENTIVE MEASURES AGAINST THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE IN ACCORDANCE WITH EXISTING LAWS AND REGULATIONS. THE SECRETARY OF HEALTH, PROVINCIAL GOVERNOR, OR CITY OR MUNICIPAL MAYOR SHALL UNDERTAKE THE FOLLOWING PREVENTIVE MEASURES, IN PART OR IN FULL, TO PREVENT THE SPREAD OF ANY INFECTIOUS DISEASE: (1)TO RESTRICT OR PROHIBIT GATHERINGS, SUCH AS ASSEMBLIES, RELIGIOUS CEREMONIES, OR ANY OTHER MASS GATHERINGS; (2)TO PARTIALLY OR TEMPORARILY CLOSE NON- ESSENTIAL PLACES OF WORK, BUSINESS, AND EDUCATIONAL ESTABLISHMENTS; (3)TO PARTIALLY OR FULLY RESTRICT TRAVEL WITHIN THEIR LOCALITY OR REGULATE TRAVEL BY LAND, SEA, OR AIR; (4)TO PARTIALLY OR FULLY CLOSE ALL AIRPORTS AND SEAPORTS;

(5)TO ORDER THE SANITATION AND DISINFECTION OF FACILITIES, BUILDINGS, OR COMMUNITIES, AS MAY BE DEEMED NECESSARY; (6)TO DESIGNATE MEDICAL FACILITIES OR BUILDINGS AS LOCAL ISOLATION AND TREATMENT CENTERS; (7)TO ESTABLISH SURVEILLANCE UNITS AND MECHANISMS, FROM THE BARANGAY TO THE PROVINCIAL LEVEL, TO CAPTURE ACCURATE AND TIMELY DATA NECESSARY TO PREVENT, MONITOR, AND CURB THE SPREAD OF THE DISEASE; AND = (8)TO DESIGNATE OR CONTRACT PERSONNEL TO ASSIST IN CONTACT TRACING, TESTING, RISK COMMUNICATION, COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT, HEALTH PROMOTION, OR OTHER PUBLIC HEALTH INTERVENTIONS; (J) THE PHILIPPINE NEWS AGENCY SHALL ISSUE = CONSTANT RELEVANT INFORMATION ON THE STATUS OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE."

Sec. 4. A new Section 8 shall be inserted, to read as follows, and

the succeeding sections shall be renumbered accordingly: "SEC. 8. HANDLING OF POTENTIAL AND CONFIRMED CASES. - THE FOLLOWING MEASURES SHALL BE OBSERVED: (A) THE DOH AND LGUS SHALL IMMEDIATELY IDENTIFY AND DESIGNATE HOSPITALS, RURAL HEALTH UNITS, OR MEDICAL FACILITIES OPERATING SOLELY TO HANDLE AND TREAT THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE; (B) THE LGU AND HEALTH OFFICES SHALL ISSUE A LIST OF POTENTIAL CARRIERS OF THE INFECTIOUS DISEASE BASED ON THE GUIDELINES PRESCRIBED BY THE DOH;

(C) THE LGU SHALL PREPARE ITS OWN PANDEMIC PREPAREDNESS PLAN ALIGNED WITH THE NATIONAL PLAN; IDENTIFIED POTENTIAL CARRIERS ARE (D) DIRECTED TO UNDERGO QUARANTINE PROCEDURES IN IDENTIFIED HOSPITALS UNDER THE SUPERVISION OF LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES AND MEDICAL PERSONNEL; (E)UPON VERIFICATION OF THE CONFIRMED CARRIER, CONTACT TRACING SHALL BE IMMEDIATELY CONDUCTED BY THE DOH IN COORDINATION WITH LOCAL HEALTH AUTHORITIES. THE FOLLOWING MAY BE USED FOR THE EFFICIENT CONDUCTION OF CONTACT TRACING: (1) PATIENT INTERVIEWS AND QUESTIONNAIRES; AND (2)LOCAL AUTHORIZED HEALTH PERSONNEL SHALL USE DATA FROM THE GPS AND LOCATION FROM THE SOCIAL MEDIA SITES OF THE PATIENT FOR EFFICIENT CONTACT TRACING. THE USE OF DATA IS ONLY FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF SURVEILLANCE OF THE DISEASE AND CONTACT TRACING AND IS SUBJECT TO DATA SECURITY AND CONFIDENTIALITY MEASURES. (F)AVAILABLE TECHNOLOGY, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, THE USE OF SMARTPHONES AND TELECOMMUNICATION SERVICES, SHALL BE UTILIZED IN MONITORING THE MOVEMENT AND HEALTH CONDITIONS OF THE POTENTIAL AND CONFIRMED CARRIER; (G) PRIVATE BUSINESSES OPERATING IN PUBLIC PLACES SHALL BE REQUIRED TO COLLECT DATA FROM THEIR PATRONS AND VISITORS FOR PURPOSES OF FACILITATING CONTACT TRACING AND NOTIFICATION,

SUBJECT TO EXISTING RULES AND REGULATIONS ON DATA SECURITY AND PRIVACY. EMPLOYERS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACT TRACING & NOTIFICATION IN THE WORKPLACE, WHILE SCHOOL ADMINISTRATORS ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR CONTACT TRACING & NOTIFICATION IN THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT."

Sec. 5. A new Section 9 shall be inserted, to read as follows, and the succeeding

9 sections shall be renumbered accordingly: "SEC. 9. INCENTIVES. - PRIVATE GROUPS AND ENTITIES ENGAGED IN SURVEILLANCE AND MONITORING SHALL BE GRANTED INCENTIVES INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO, EXEMPTION FROM PAYMENT OF RELEVANT TAXES, AND OTHER INCENTIVES AS MAY BE PROVIDED UNDER EXISTING LAWS AND REGULATIONS."

Sec. 6. Separability Clause. - If any portion or provision of this Act is declared

as unconstitutional, the remainder of this Act or any provisions not affected thereby shall remain in force and effect.

Sec. 7. Repealing Clause. - Any law, presidential decree or issuance, executive

order, letter of instruction, rule or regulation inconsistent with the provisions of this Act is hereby repealed or modified accordingly.

Sec. 8. Effectivity Clause. - This Act shall take effect after fifteen (15) days

following its complete publication in the Official Gazette or a newspaper of general circulation. Approved,