HOLST. OF REPRESENTATIVES: RECEIVED SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS __) 19 JUL 2018 REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) —"Pajan First Regular Session ) HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES = RESISTMTON NIT Introduced by Represent: Miz 10 B. Rodri NOaNOEX-SERVICE House Bill No. 1683 EXPLANATORY NOTE This bill was originally iniroduced es House Bill No. 5592 during the 16" Congress where it was approved by the Committee on Civil Service and Professional Regulation and substituted wit) House Bill No. 6878. It was subsequently approved on 2" reading, approved on 2" reading and was transmitted to the Senate where it was not acted upon. It was also refiled during the 16" Congress were it was approved by both Houses of Congress but was unforlunately vetoed by the President. This bill seeks to institute reforms 'o further protect and develop the nursing profession, amending for the purpose Republis Act (RA) No. 9173, otherwise known as the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002.” RA 9173 was enacted in 2002 tc provide a comprehensive definition and understanding of the nursing professicn. It delineates the scope of work of registered Filipino nurses, establishes linkages with community resources and requires the updating of professional knowledge in the nursing field, patient care, levels of nursing practice and development of nursing education. This is in recognition of the vital role nurses play in the delivery of quality health services not only in the country, but all over the world Since the enactment of RA 9173 almost a decade ago, significant factors critical to the development of nursing practice in the county have emerged. This includes providing humane and globally competent nursing care, ensuring positive practice environment for nurses, strengthening the Philippine nursing profession ag a recognized leader in primary health care, enforcing quality stancards in nursing education and practice, and providing guidelines toward nursing career progression. RA 9173 must be amended to achieve the vision of the Philippine professional nursing care to be the best for the Filipino and the choice of the world by 2030. Such amendments provide restructuring of the scope and practice of nursing to include certfication, specialization and educationel requirements, expanding the powers of the Board of Nursing to strengthen its role in dec'son-making processes concerning the nursing practice, providing additional educational requitements for different levels of nursing practice to ensure competitiveness and further strengthen the nursing profession and provide a better Practice environment. Nursing remains the top career choice among Filipinos. The Commission on Higher Education reported that the number of nursing students rose from 30,000 in 2000 to 450,000 in 2007. The total number of registered nurses as of 2002 was 332,206 according to deta Provided by the Professional Regulation Commission. In addition, demand for Filipino nurses abroad has risen steadily over the past two decades, Given the statistics, it is but necessary to insttute reforms RA 9178 so thet the nurses are accorded further protection and their welfare enhanced. It must be amenced to better respond to the needs of nurses, their patients and the whole nursing practice. In view of the foregoing, immeciate passage of this bill is earnestly requested. Wy. MAXIMO B. RODRIGUEZ, JR.SEVENTEENTH CONGRESS REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES ) First Regular Session } HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Introduced by Representative Maximo B. Rodriguez, Jr. House BillNo. 1693 ANACT PROVIDING FOR A COMPREHENSIVE NURSING LAW TOWARDS A QUALITY HEALTH CARE SYSTEM, AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS THEREFOR, REPEALING FOR THE PURPOSE REPUBLIC ACT NO. 9173, OTHERWISE KNOWN AS THE “PHILIPPINE NURSING ACT OF 2002” Be it enacted by the Senate and the House of Representative of the Republic of the Philippines in Congress assembled: ARTICLE! General Provisions Section 1. Title. — This Act shall be known as the “Comprehensive Nursing Law SEC 2. Declaration of Policy. — It is hereby declared the policy of the state to uphold the dignity of nurses and assume responsibility for the protection, respect and improvement of the nursing profession by instituting measures that will ensure the adaption of lust and humane conditions of work, and the promotion of professional growth. Thus the State recognizes nurses as prime movers of national development and contributors to international cooperation and understanding ‘The Stale further guarantees the delvery of eccessible, affordable, and available cuaity health care for all people through the establishment of an adequate and dynamic Nursing Personnel System (NPS) in the country. SEC. 3. Definition of Terms. — As used in this Act (a) Accredited Professional Organization (APO) refers to the duly integrated and accredited professionel organization of registered and licensed nurses as per RA. No. 8981 or the "PRC Modemization Act of 2000.” (0) Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) refers to a nurse who acquired substantial theoretical knowledge and decision making skills in a specialty area of nursing practice and proficient clinical utilization of this knowledge in implementing independent and inte-dependent nursing interventions. Speciatties can be differentiated according to function, disease, pathology, systems, age, gender, acuity, setiing, technology, and therapies. An APN. must be given credentials certification by the Board. An APN must have a master's degree in nursing (c) Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) refers to the basic program for nursing education (d) Certfication/ Credentialing refers to the process undertaken by an individual nurse to be recognized to practice in a specifically defined professional such as Generel Nursing, Nursing Specialty Advanced Practice, Nursing Education, and Leadership and Governance. The Professional Regulatory Boerd of Nursing confers the certification or credential after @ validation process based on promulgated guidelines and mechanisms. (e) Health Facility refers to an institution, establishment or clinic that offers heaith services and nursing care, such as a hospital, barangay health center, and cinic. (1) Nurse reters 10 @ person who passed the Philippine Nurse Licensure Exems (PNLE) ‘and whose license has not been revoked by the law. It pertains to a RegisteredNurse (RN). who may apgend before ones name the tile “Nurse”, *Nars’, or *Nrs.” or the initials “RN. * after one's name. (g) Nursing Personnel System (NPS) refers to the system of human resource management that classifies the structure, orgarization, and coordination within the workforce both in private and public health care facilities and nursing educational institutions designed to advance the welfare and protect the rights of the nurses, enhance the employer-employee ‘relationship, ensure security of tenure, just compensation, hurnane conditions of work, and professional growth. (h) Philippine Nurse Licensure Exams (PNLE), refers to a witten examination given by the Philippine Regulatory Board of Nursing in order to obtain license to practice nursing ()) Precartous Work refers to substandard employment conditions such as under- Payment, absence of salary, no security of tenure, lack of employer - employee relationship, inadequate or no work berefits, poor working conditions; deviation from the standard employment relationsnip such as in contractual hiring, false volunteerism, job orders through agercies; part time, temporary. on call, or set employment; fixed term work, home worker, call center jobs;, lack of collective bargaining representation, and no job security. © Public Health Institution (PH!) refers to any government-led, or goverment owned or controlled institution which pursues and realizes the lofty goals and objectives of Providing and managing safe, efficient effective and quality public health programs and services and advocacies for heath, in all levels of the Health Care Delivery System (HCDS ~ national io local) which include, among others: Rural Health Units (RHUs/ Barangay Heaith Centers), reszarch facifties such as the Research Institute tor Tropical Medicine, training rescurce facilites as the U.P. College of Public Health and stale or local colleges or unive'sites offenng health-related programs; the Deperiment of Health and all retained heatth facilities. (K) Special Permit refers to the permit to practice nursing in the Philippines issued by the Regulatory Board of Nursing to icensec nurses of foreign nationalities. () Temporary Permit refers to the permit t» practice nursing in the Philippines Issued to a Filipino nurse, who does not have a professional license from the Philippines or has ot renewed the license for five (5) ysars, but is licensed to practice in a foreign country; and as provided under Sec. 23 hereof ARTICLE Il Board of Nursing SEC 4, Creation and Composition of the Board. — There shall be created a Professional Regulatory Board of Nursing, hereinafter referred to as the Board, composed of seven (7) members whe shall elect among themselves a Chairperson to serve for one (1) term, without re-electon. The President of the Republic of the Philippines shall appoint the members of the Board from among those recommended by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRO) established under Republiz Act No. 898 and ranked from a list of three (3) nominees, for each vacancy, of the APO cf nurses in the Philippines and who possess the qualifications for the position as provided ir this Act. The membership of the Board shall comprise the scope of the nursing practice. SEC. 5. Qualifications of the Members of the Board. ~ A member of the Board must possess the following qualifications: (a) Must be a natural born citizen and rasident of the Philippines for the past five (6) consecutive years, (b) Must be a Registered Nurse in tre Philippines and a holder of a valid and updated certficate of registration and a current professional identification card; (c) Must have been conferred a master’s degree in nursing and preferably, a doctoral degree from a uriversity duly recogrized by the government, (4) Must have continuously practiced the nursing profession for at least ten (10) years prior to appointment : Proviced, however, That the last five (5) years of practice must have been performed in the Philippines; and