1

MEDICAL JURISPRUDENCEIvy D. Patdu, MD JDHEALTH PROFESSIONS UNDER PRC1.

What Health Related Professions are regulated by the Professional Regulations Commission? (Just
have a general idea of whatthese professions are)R.A. No. 9484, (Dentistry) R.A. No. 5527
(Medical Technology), R.A. No. 2383, as amended (BOARD OF MEDICALEDUCATION; RA
No. 2382 Medical Act of 1959), R.A. No. 7392 (Midwife), R.A. No. 9173 (Nursing), P.D. No.
1286(Nutrition and Dietetics), R.A. No. 8050 (Optometry), R.A. No. 5921 (Pharmacy), R.A. 5680
(Physical Therapy), R.A. No.7431 (Radiologic Technology), R.A. No. 4373 (Social Work), R.A.
9268 (Veterinarian) R.A. No. 1364 (SanitaryEngineering)MEDICAL PRIVACY
2.

Philippine Constitution, art. III, 3

Section 3.1. The privacy of communication and correspondence shall be inviolable except upon
lawful order of the court, orwhen public safety or order requires otherwise, as prescribed by law.2.
Any evidence obtained in violation of this or the preceding section shall be inadmissible for any
purpose in anyproceeding.
3.

Civil Code, art. 26Art. 26.

Every person shall respect the dignity, personality, privacy and peace of mind of his neighbors and
other persons. Thefollowing and similar acts, though they may not constitute a criminal offense,
shall produce a cause of action for damages,prevention and other relief:(1) Prying into the privacy
of another's residence:(2) Meddling with or disturbing the private life or family relations of
another;(3) Intriguing to cause another to be alienated from his friends;

(4) Vexing or humiliating another on account of his religious beliefs, lowly station in life, place of
birth, physical defect, or otherpersonal condition.
4.

What is Medical or Health Privacy?

Since the creation of the Hippocratic oath about 400 B.C., protecting the privacy of patients has
been an important part of physicians' code of conduct. Over time, health information has come
into use by many organizations and individuals who arenot subject to medical ethics codes,
including employers, insurers, government program administrators, attorneys and others.As uses
of medical information multiplied, so have regulatory protections for this highly sensitive and
deeply personalinformation. The regulatory regime for protecting privacy of health information is
complex and fragmented. Some protectionsapply only to information held by government
agencies. Some protections apply to specific groups, such as federal employeesor school children.
Some protections apply to specific medical conditions or types of information, such as information
related toHIV/AIDS or substance abuse treatment. The first comprehensive set of federal
regulation of health information, the PrivacyRule under the Health Insurance Portability and
Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA), came into effect in April 2003. The SecurityRule, also
required under HIPAA, was issued in final form on February