Health Outreach for Seniors and Indigents Program

CONGRESS OF THE PHILIPPINES TWENTIETH CONGRESS First Regular Session SENATE S. No. 1510 PREPARED AND SUBMITTED JOINTLY BY THE COMMITTEES ON HEALTH AND DEMOGRAPHY; SOCIAL JUSTICE, WELFARE AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT; AND FINANCE WITH SENATORS TULFO (R.), HONTIVEROS, VILLANUEVA, AND PADILLA AS AUTHORS THEREOF AN ACT ESTABLISHING A NATIONAL HEALTH SERVICE OUTREACH PROGRAM FOR SENIOR CITIZENS AND INDIGENT PERSONS WITH FUNCTIONAL DISABILITIES, PROVIDING FOR INTERAGENCY AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT COORDINATION, AND PROVIDING FUNDS THEREFOR Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in Congress assembled:

SECTION 1. Short Title. - This Act shall be known as

2 the "Health Outreach for Seniors and Indigents Program 3 Act"

SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. - It is the policy of the

State to uphold the dignity, independence, and well-being

of seniors and indigent persons, particularly those with 2 functional disabilities. Recognizing their economic, 3 physical, and social challenges, the State shall establish a 4 national service program to ensure equitable access to assistive devices, community-based care, and basic hygiene resources.

SEC. 3. Objectives. - The objectives of this Act are to:

(a) Strengthen and coordinate community-based public health interventions for seniors and indigent persons with functional disabilities, eliminate duplication of services, and thereby attain efficient resource allocation; (b) Empower local health units and community and health workers to provide inclusive, equitable, preventive care for aging and disadvantaged populations; (c) Institutionalize regular community health visits for the monitoring, treatment, and support of functional 17 impairments among eligible individuals; (d) Integrate the provision of assistive medical devices into national and local health systems; and

*. (e) Provide health-related hygiene and oral care kits to prevent disease and promote personal health among vulnerable populations.

SEC. 4. Definition of Terms. - For purposes of this Act:

(a) Assistive Devices refer to medically appropriate tools designed to aid functional capacity, including, but not limited to, wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids, prescription eyeglasses, magnifiers. grab bars, dentures, and adaptive utensils: (b) Community Visits refer to periodic home or community center visits by trained service providers, healthcare workers. or volunteers, including dentists and dental workers, to provide care, social support, and health monitoring: (c) Functional Disability refers to the difficulty of performing daily living activities due to mobility or sensory impairments; (d) Indigent Persons refer to individuals or households whose incomes fall below the poverty threshold

as defined by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA), and who lack access to adequate healthcare, housing, or other basic needs; (e) Oral Care and Hygiene Kits refer to kits containing basic oral care and hygiene supplies, such as, 6 but not limited to, adult diapers. soap, shampoo, hand sanitizers, incontinence pads, sanitary wipes, toothbrush, toothpaste, fluoride, mouthwash, denture cup, denture brush, denture cleanser, lip balm or moisturizer, and oral moisturizing gel or spray; (f) Seniors refer to any resident citizen of the 12 Philippines who is at least sixty (60) years old; and (g) Service Provider refers to any individual, non-government organization (NGO), or healthcare institution, authorized by the Department of Health 16 (DOH), Department of Social Welfare and Development 17 (DSWD), Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PhilHealth), and local government units (LGUs), as the 19 case may be, to implement the National Health Service

Outreach for Senior Citizens and Indigent Program Persons with Functional Disabilities established under

Section 5 of this Act.

SEC. 5. National Health Service Outreach Program for

5 Senior Citizens and Indigent Persons with Functional Disabilities. - There is hereby established a National 7 Health Service Outreach Program for Senior Citizens and Indigent Persons with Functional Disabilities, to be known as Health Outreach for Seniors and Indigents Program (HOSIP), an integrated and collaborative approach to 11 provide inclusive community-based care for aging and 12 disadvantaged populations, equitable access to assistive devices, and basic hygiene resources. The HOSIP shall be formulated and implemented by the DOH, in coordination with the DSWD, the National Commission of Senior Citizens (NCSC), and LGUs. The HOSIP shall: (a) Identify and register seniors with functional disabilities and indigent persons with similar needs;

individual and household-based (b) Conduct assessments through community profiling: (c) Coordinate and implement community visits at 4 least once every two (2) months for registered beneficiaries; (d) Distribute assistive devices based on validated medical and functional needs; (e) Provide oral care and hygiene kits quarterly to all qualified beneficiaries; (f) Maintain and share digital and physical registries of beneficiaries and services rendered to efficiently allocate resources and eliminate duplication of services; and (g) Train barangay health workers and community volunteers to deliver inclusive services under this Act. The DOH and the DSWD shall be mainly responsible for the provision of assistive devices to seniors and indigent persons with • functional disabilities, respectively. The LGUs may augment the supply of assistive devices to meet the needs of their populations. The PhilHealth shall

'. • 1 provide assistive devices through its accredited health professionals and healthcare institutions. 6. and Local Government SEC. Interagency Coordination. - The DOH shall coordinate with national government agencies. LGUs, and civil society organizations to ensure a rights-based and community-centered approach: eliminate duplication of services; harmonize resource allocation; and optimize service delivery systems. Specifically: (a) The DSWD shall conduct social profiling, validate identified indigent beneficiaries, and align services with local social welfare offices and programs; (b) The NCSC shall guide senior citizen engagement, promote empowerment, and monitor inclusion of older persons with disabilities: (c) Consistent with its mandate, the PhilHealth shall develop and implement sustainable reimbursement mechanisms for assistive technologies and geriatric care to

ensure financial risk protection and equitable access to essential health services for all Filipinos; (d) LGUs shall identify the HOSIP's beneficiaries and ensure localized implementation of the Program through health offices and barangay health units; and (e) DOH-authorized NGOs and Medical Societies shall provide expertise, training, and personnel support to expand outreach capacity.

SEC. 7. Special Provision for Indigent Persons with

Functional Disabilities. - To ensure the equitable inclusion of indigent persons, especially those who are not yet senior citizens but are living with functional disabilities or chronic vulnerabilities, the following shall be implemented: (a) Priority Access: Indigent persons shall be prioritized based on medical and social need when resources are constrained: (b) Program Integration: The DSWD shall align services with local social welfare programs for synergy;

(c) Simplified Requirements: Implementing agencies may waive or simplify documentation requirements for verifiable cases of indigence; (d) Community Referral System: Barangay officials and health workers shall establish a proactive referral mechanism to capture at-risk indigent individuals; and (e) Monitoring and Reporting: The DOH shall submit annual disaggregated data reports on services 9 rendered to indigent persons.

SEC. 8. Funding. - The initial amount necessary to

implement the provisions of this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the 13 departments or agencies concerned, subject to the existing budgeting, accounting, and auditing rules and regulations. Thereafter. such amount necessary to effectively carry out the provisions of this Act shall be included in the annual General Appropriations Act, subject to the usual budget processes.

The LGUs concerned shall charge the amount necessary to carry out the provisions of this Act against 3 their respective local funds.

SEC. 9. Penalties. - Any official or employee found

5 guilty of willful neglect, fund misuse, or discriminatory 6 implementation shall face penalties under existing laws.

SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. - The

DOH, in consultation with the DSWD. NCSC, PhilHealth, LGUs, and stakeholders, shall within sixty (60) days from the effectivity of this Act, promulgate the rules and regulations to effectively implement the provisions of this Act.

SEC. 11. Separability Clause. - If any provision of this

Act is declared invalid or unconstitutional, the remainder thereof not otherwise affected shall remain in full force and effect.

SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. - All laws, decrees,

executive orders, issuances, and rules and regulations

• •. inconsistent with this Act are hereby repealed or amended accordingly.

SEC. 13. Effectivity. - This Act shall take effect after

fifteen (15) days following its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. Approved,