An Act Specifying How National Aid Could be Obtained by Any Province for the Construction, Equipment, Maintenance and Operation of Provincial Hospitals

August 22, 1938

COMMONWEALTH ACT NO. 356

AN ACT SPECIFYING HOW NATIONAL AID COULD BE OBTAINED BY ANY PROVINCE FOR THE CONSTRUCTION, EQUIPMENT, MAINTENANCE AND OPERATION OF PROVINCIAL HOSPITALS

SECTION 1. Any province can receive aid from the Philippine Government from the fund that may be appropriated for the purpose of the construction, equipment, operation, and maintenance of a provincial hospital, whenever the province concerned shall contribute a sum of not less than thirty per cent of the total cost of the construction and equipment of the hospital and its dependencies if a first-class province, not less than twenty per cent if a second-class province and not less than ten per cent in the case of other provinces, which money it may either appropriate out of its own funds or raise by subscription on the part of the municipalities concerned or of private citizens, or in any other manner which shall not be a direct or indirect aid on the part of the National Government: Provided, That upon certification of the Director of Health, the establishment of a hospital in a specified province is greatly needed, and if the Secretary of Finance certifies that the financial condition of the province concerned will not permit the contribution as provided hereof, such contributions may be lowered in the amount recommended by said Secretary or dispensed with, depending upon the financial condition of the province concerned: Provided, further, That the National aid for the operation and maintenance of the hospital authorized herein shall be fifty per cent of the total cost of such operation and maintenance for the first year and shall be decreased by two and one-half per cent every year so that said aid shall automatically be discontinued at the end of the twentieth year: Provided, further, That the operation and maintenance of the hospitals built under the certification of the Department of Finance will receive the necessary amount of National aid that may be needed for the operation and maintenance of said hospitals to supplement the provincial and municipal contributions as provided in this Act, until such time that the Secretary of Finance will certify that the National aid for the operation and maintenance of the hospital so established can be decreased in proportion other that those provided therein. And provided, finally, That any chartered city or subprovince desiring to construct, equip, operate, and maintain a hospital in accordance with the provisions of this Act shall be considered as a province for the purposes thereof. HDAaIS

SECTION 2. In order to provide funds for the operation and maintenance of the hospital constructed under the terms of this Act, the province shall set aside annually for said operation and maintenance a sum of not less than three per cent of its general funds. Each municipality within the province shall likewise set aside annually a sum to be fixed by the provincial board, of not less than three nor more than five per cent of its general funds for said operation and maintenance: Provided, however, That the municipality in which the hospital is located shall set aside annually a sum of not less than seven per cent of its general funds for said purpose. The sums herein required to be set aside by the province and the municipalities shall be in addition to the sums which said province and the municipalities are required to set aside for the health fund pursuant to existing laws.

SECTION 3. The funds thus set aside in accordance with the preceding section and any aid from the National Government which may be granted under this Act or any other provision of law for the construction, equipment, operation and maintenance of hospitals shall constitute a part of the health fund now provided for by existing laws, and shall be expended exclusively for the construction, equipment, operation and maintenance of the hospital and its dependencies. These hospital shall be operated in accordance with the provision of section one thousand and twenty-seven of the Administrative Code.

SECTION 4. For the purposes of this Act, provincial and municipal hospitals supported in whole or in part by the provincial and municipal funds shall be under the direct supervision and control of the Bureau of Health and the officers and employees therein shall have national status.

SECTION 5. A physician appointed or designated to a hospital constructed or operated under this Act or any other Act shall have national status, and all receipts of the hospital shall be applied to the operation and maintenance of the same.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on its approval.

Approved, August 22, 1938.