Regulating medical missions? Cebu consults health sector on rules

LAPU-LAPU CITY, Cebu — Health officials and medical stakeholders met with members of the Cebu Provincial Board on Monday to discuss how medical missions could be carried out under a more uniform process across the province.

The consultation gathered recommendations from government agencies, hospitals, and professional organizations that will serve as the foundation for a planned provincial ordinance establishing standardized guidelines for health outreach activities.

The discussion took place during the Provincial Board’s regular session on July 13, 2026, following an invitation sponsored by Board Member Stanley S. Caminero.

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Caminero said the proposed measure sought to address the absence of a centralized procedure for processing medical mission requests in the province.

He explained that organizers currently submit proposals to different offices because there is no standard process for handling applications.

“We are looking at crafting an encompassing and compiled guidelines in the form of a provincial ordinance regulating health-related outreaches,” Caminero said.

“It’s both for the ease of conduct of the mission and to understand that there is a single process to follow. When there’s a standardized guideline, it’s easier. It facilitates; it does not discourage,” he added.

He said the ordinance is also intended to protect patients and medical teams by requiring coordination with local government units, ensuring licensed healthcare professionals take part in missions, and setting clear standards to prevent untoward incidents.

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Existing framework

During the discussion, lawyer Marc Phua, representing the Cebu Medical Society, said medical missions were already guided by existing policies issued by the Department of Health (DOH), PhilHealth, and the Universal Health Care Act.

He also noted that physicians remained legally accountable for negligence under existing civil and penal laws even when medical services were provided free of charge.

“Whether or not these services are done out of charity and we don’t charge anything, medical negligence, if, when, and where present can still be a source of liability. It does not exempt the physician even if the physician does not charge any professional fee for the services,” Phua said.

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Caminero noted that these existing policies and laws could be used as references in drafting the proposed provincial ordinance.

Gaps in the process

Dr. Sheila Faciol, Cebu Provincial Health Office head, said there was no executive order prescribing how medical teams secured approval from the governor to conduct missions in provincial hospitals.

“I believe there’s no executive order. But the one that’s existing is a MOA (Memorandum of Agreement) between the group that will do the mission and the provincial government,” Faciol said.

She also said the provincial government does not currently have an accreditation system for medical mission groups.

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Meanwhile, the DOH said it did not regulate locally organized medical missions involving local practitioners, with requests instead endorsed to the local government unit where the activity would be held.

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The agency added that proposals involving international medical teams are referred to the Bureau of International Health Cooperation, which follows a separate set of requirements.

Committee deliberations

Board Member Kerrie Keane Shimura, vice chairperson of the Committee on Public Health and Social Services, said the proposed ordinance would be further discussed at the committee level.

Also present during the session were representatives from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center, the DOH – Central Visayas Center for Health Development, PhilHealth Regional Office VII, the Philippine Dental Society, and Cebu’s provincial and district hospitals.

Their participation formed part of the province’s initial consultations before drafting the ordinance.

“We have heard from the experts, resource persons, and stakeholders…they can offer a lot of useful insights,” Caminero said.

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