A LAWMAKER on Thursday pushed for a measure that seeks to further increase penalties for hospitals and medical practitioners who refuse to treat emergency cases.
House Bill 3046 proposes to amend Republic Act 10932, which strengthened the anti-hospital deposit law in 2017.
Under the measure, any medical practitioner who violates the provisions of the law could face fines of up to P1 million and at least four years of imprisonment, up from the current P100,000 to P300,000.
It also states that if the violation is part of the established policy of the medical institution, the director or officer could face up to 12 years in prison and fines of no less than P2 million.
The bill also calls for the establishment of a 24/7 hotline where violations can be reported.
“The bill seeks to strengthen the measures corresponding the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law through an increase in the penal sanctions,” Davao Rep. Paolo Z. Duterte, one of the bill’s authors, said in the explanatory note. — Matthew Carl L. Montecillo