Formation of Medical Reserve Corps eyed
DEPUTY Speaker Luis Raymund Villafuerte announced he will push his proposed bill seeking to create a corps of medical reservists.
Villafuerte’s House Bill (HB) 7007 seeks to supplement the frontliners in the health-care system during times of national disasters and health emergencies such as the Covid-19 pandemic.
To note, Commonwealth Act 1 of 1935 or the National Defense Act has mandated the creation of a Medical Reserve Corps. Senate Bill 1451, also known as the “Medical Reserve Corps Act of 2020,” which seeks to establish a Medical Reserve Corps has also been filed at the Upper House in May.
In his bill, Villafuerte said the lack of medical personnel during the initial stages of the country’s “fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 [Covid-19] has underscored the urgency of establishing a medical reserve corps to ensure that the health-care system is not overwhelmed during emergencies.”
The bill said members of the medical reserve corps may be called upon and mobilized to assist the national and local governments in their functions related to addressing the urgent needs of the country’s health-care system during times of crises.
Under HB 7007, the Secretary of the Department of Health (DOH) shall initiate the mobilization of the medical reserve corps, in coordination with the Secretaries of the Departments of National Defense (DND), of Education (Deped) and of the Interior and local government( di lg) or their duly authorized representatives with a rank of Undersecretary.
“There is hereby established a Medical Reserve Corps that shall be composed of all persons who have degrees in the field of medicine, nursing, medical technology and other health-related fields but have yet to have their respective licenses to practice for reasons such as but not limited to not having taken and/or passed the licensure examinations in their respective professions,” the bill said.
The bill also proposes that members of the medical reserve corps may be called to undergo retraining to maintain and enhance their level of competency and readiness for mobilization in times of crises.
Villafuerte said his bill requires the Department of Health (DOH) to evaluate requests for the deployment of the medical reserve corps.
“When the number of personnel requested does not exceed 150 and the period of deployment does not exceed 60 days, the DOH shall decide whether to approve or disapprove the request within 24 hours from receipt thereof,” the bill said.
“When the number of personnel requested exceeds 150 or the period of deployment exceeds 60 days, the DOH shall make a recommendation to the Office of the President [OP] within 24 hours from receipt of the request. The OP shall decide whether to approve or disapprove the request within 24 hours from receipt of the recommendation of the DOH,” the bill added.
In case of a declaration of a state of war, state of lawless violence or state of calamity, the DOH may by its own initiative recommend the mobilization of the medical reserve force to the President.
It added the President by himself, shall also have the power to order the mobilization of the corps to respond to national or local contingencies related to external and territorial defense, internal security and peace and order and/or disaster risk reduction management.