Rep Act 5527 and its amendments

• Republic Act No. 5527 and its amendments
• Amendment: a change or addition to the terms of a contract, a law, government regulatory filings, and other documents
• Amendments allow laws and policies to be refined over time rather than replaced outright
• R.A. 5527 was amended a year after its effectivity
• After 4 years, the second amendments came (P.D. 498)
• After another 4 years, there were 5 more amendments (P.D. 1534)
• Republic Act No. 6138: An Act to amend certain sections of Republic Act Numbered 5027, known as the Philippine Medical Technology Act of 1969
• Section 16 (Qualification of Examination)
• Qualifications for examination include completing a course of at least four years leading to the degrees of Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology or Bachelor of Science in Hygiene
• Graduates from other paramedical professions must have been performing medical technology for the last five years prior to the enactment of the Act
• Practical training was omitted to qualify for examination for those who graduated from other paramedical professions
• Section 21 (Issuance of Certificate of Registration)
• Certificate of registration without examination is granted to persons who graduated with a BSMT/BSH in duly recognized schools of medical technology and have been in practice for at least three years at the time of the passage of the Act
• Other persons who graduated from other paramedical professions and have been performing medical technology practice for the last five years are also entitled to the Certificate of Registration without examination
• Section 22 (Fees)
• The Board charges each applicant for examination and registration the sum of fifty pesos
• Twenty-five pesos for a certificate of registration issued without prior examination
• Ten pesos allocated for registration and to replace lost, destroyed, or mutilated certificates
• • A representative of the deans or heads of the Private schools of medical technology
• Members of the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) Council:

  • Chairman: Commissioner of PRC
  • Vice-Chairman: Director of Bureau of Research and Laboratories of the DOH
  • Vice-Chairman: Chairman of the Board of Medical Technology
  • 1 Chairman and 2 members of the Board of Medical Technology
  • Dean of the Institute of Health of UP
  • A representative of the deans or heads of the Private schools of medical technology
  • President of PAMET
  • President of PSP
  • Director of Private Education or its duly authorized representative
  • 2 members of the Board of Medical Technology
• Compensation and Traveling Expenses:

  • Chairman: P50.00 per meeting attended
  • Members: P25.00 per meeting attended
  • Regardless of receiving regular salaries or not
  • Government officials receiving regular salaries shall not receive per diem
• Medical Technology Board:

  • Pathologist and 2 members who are registered medical technologists appointed by the President of the Philippines
  • Chairman serves for three years, one member for two years, and the third member for one year
  • No member allowed more than 1 reappointment
  • Each member serves 3 years after appointment or until their successors are appointed and duly qualify
  • Term of office can be extended
  • President of the Philippines fills vacancies, appointee serves the unexpired term of the incapacitated member
• Qualification of Examiners:

  • Filipino citizen
  • Good moral character
  • Qualified Pathologist or duly registered medical technologist with a degree in BSM T/BSH
  • At least 10 years of practice in laboratory medicine or medical technology prior to appointment
  • Not a member of the faculty of any medical technology school or have any pecuniary interest in such institution
• Functions and Duties of the Board:

  • Issue, suspend, and revoke certificates of registration for the practice of medical technology and medical laboratory technician
  • Determine the adequacy of technical staff in clinical laboratories and blood banks
  • Prescribe the qualification and training of medical technologists for special fields and supervise their specialty examinations
  • Classify and prescribe the qualification and training of technical staff in clinical laboratories
• Accreditation of Schools of Medical Technology and Training Laboratory:

  • Schools of medical technology approved by the Department of Education and Culture
  • Laboratories for accreditation as training laboratories approved by the Department of Health or its authorized agency and the Professional Regulation Commission
  • Recommendations from the Council of Medical Technology Education and Board of Medical Technology
• Qualification for Examination:

  • Completed a course of at least four years leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Medical Technology or Bachelor of Science in Hygiene/Public Health
  • Graduated from a paramedical profession and practicing medical technology for the last five years prior to the examination
• Scope of Examination:

  • Board prepares the schedule of subjects for examination and submits it to the Commissioner of Civil Service for publication at least four months before the examination date
  • Board may change, add to, or remove subjects as progress in the science of medical technology requires, subject to the prior approval of the Professional Regulation Commission
• Issuance of Certificate of Registration:

  • Certificate without examination to persons graduated with a BSMT/BSH in recognized schools of medical technology and have been practicing for at least three years prior to application
  • Certificate without examination to persons graduated from other paramedical professions and practicing medical technology for the last five years prior to application
• To be entitled to register as a laboratory technician, you must have finished a two-year college course and have at least one year of experience as a medical laboratory technician
• If you only finished a 2-year degree college course, you need to have a total of 5 years of experience to register as a laboratory technician
• Those with at least ten years of experience as a medical laboratory technician can qualify for registration without examination regardless of academic attainment
• If you failed to pass the board examination for medical technology but obtained a general rating of at least 70%, you can still qualify
• Registered medical laboratory technicians employed in the government must have a civil service eligibility not lower than second grade
• The Council of Medical Technology Education is composed of the Chairperson of CHED as Chairman, the Chairperson of PRC as Vice-Chairman, and various members including representatives from DOH, Medical Technology Board, and professional associations
• The Council of Medical Technology Education recommends the minimum required curriculum, sets policies, standards, and guidelines for the medical technology program, and monitors compliance and performance
• The Technical Panels and Technical Committees under CHED set minimum standards for programs and institutions of higher learning, recommended by panels of experts and subject to public hearing
• In order for a clinical laboratory to be considered a training laboratory, it must be tertiary, accredited by the Health Facilities and Services Regulatory Bureau (HFSRB) of the DOH, and accredited by CHED
• All laws, executive orders, decrees, rules, and regulations inconsistent with the provisions of the Decree are repealed, amended, or modified accordingly
• Sections 2, 4, 7, 17, 22, and 29 are amended once, while sections 3, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21, and 31 are amended twice