An Act Authorizing Payments from the Insular Treasury to Medical Officers or Contract Surgeons of the United States Army for Medical Services Rendered to Members of the Philippines Constabulary when Medical Attendance Otherwise Authorized by Law is Not Available

November 7, 1903

ACT NO. 985

AN ACT AUTHORIZING PAYMENTS FROM THE INSULAR TREASURY TO MEDICAL OFFICERS OR CONTRACT SURGEONS OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY FOR MEDICAL SERVICES RENDERED TO MEMBERS OF THE PHILIPPINES CONSTABULARY WHEN MEDICAL ATTENDANCE OTHERWISE AUTHORIZED BY LAW IS NOT AVAILABLE

SECTION 1. Whenever it shall be made to appear to the satisfaction of the Chief of the Philippines Constabulary, or of an assistant chief of the Philippines Constabulary in charge of an established district, that an officer or enlisted man of the Philippines Constabulary is suffering from illness or injury incurred in line of duty and that there is not within reach or available a medical officer required by law to render medical or surgical attendance to such officer or enlisted man, as provided by law, the Chief of the Philippines Constabulary, or an assistant chief of the Philippines Constabulary, as herein defined, may specially authorize the employment of an available medical officer or contract surgeon of the United States Army to render such medical attendance as may be required, and pay therefor in accordance with the prescribed schedule of fees for medical services in the Philippines Constabulary.

SECTION 2. In any case in which an officer or enlisted man of the Philippines Constabulary entitled to medical treatment is received at a military hospital under the control of the United States military authorities, the regular schedule of fees for subsistence and attendance at such hospital shall be paid and no more, and in such cases payment shall be made on proper vouchers by the paymaster of the Philippines Constabulary to the chief surgeon of the Division of Philippines, and not as a personal fee to any officer in charge of such military hospital.

SECTION 3. The appropriations for medical attendance of the Philippines Constabulary are hereby made available for payment for medical attendance as herein provided, subject to the conditions prescribed for such attendance in Act Numbered Eight hundred and seven, that officers shall be entitled only to reimbursement for hospital charges incurred by them by reason of injury or disability received in line of study.

SECTION 4. In all cases in which suspensions have been made by the Auditor for the Philippine Islands on account of payments made by disbursing officers for the Philippines Constabulary to medical officers or contract surgeons of the United States Army for medical services rendered to members of the Philippines Constabulary, and such payments have not been refunded, the Auditor is hereby authorized to credit the accounts of such disbursing officers with the amounts so suspended, and that appropriations against which the same were at the time charged are hereby made available for such payments, and for this purpose and to this extent this Act is made retroactive.

SECTION 5. In cases in which payments have been made by provincial treasurers, upon the orders of the provincial boards, to officers of the United States Army or to medical officers receiving salaries from the Insular Government but whose duties did not require them to render such service, for medical attendance upon provincial prisoners, the Auditor is hereby authorized to allow credit in the accounts of such provincial treasurers for such payments when it shall be shown to his satisfaction that there was available no medical officer required by law to perform such medical service, the provisions of Act Numbered One hundred and forty-eight to the contrary notwithstanding: Provided, That such payments are reasonable, and a certificate of the Commissioner of Public Health that the fees charged in any case are reasonable may be accepted by the Auditor as final. The president of a provincial board of health or of a municipal board of health may be required to render, without charge, to any officer or enlisted man of the Philippines Constabulary, or to a provincial prisoner, such medical service as may be needed in any case, upon notice by the officer in immediate command of such Constabulary officer or enlisted man or by the governor of the province, as the case may be, of the necessity for such service; or to any indigent person when directed to render such service by the provincial governor or by a municipal president, as the case may be: Provided, That in no case shall the president of a provincial board of health or the president of a municipal board of health be paid for medical services rendered to any person authorized by law to receive medical attendance at the expense of the Insular Government or at the expense of a province.

SECTION 6. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill, the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section two of "An Act prescribing the order of procedure by the Commission in the enactment of laws," passed September twenty-sixth, nineteen hundred.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect on its passage.

ENACTED, November 7, 1903. ETHIDa