Quality of Menial Health Services.
SEC. 14. Quality of Menial Health Services. - Mental health services provided pursuant to this Act shall be:
(a) Based on medical and scientific research findings;
(b) Responsive, to the clinical, gender, cultural and ethnic and other special needs of the individuals being served;
(c) Most appropriate and least restrictive setting: (d) Age appropriate: and
(e) Provided by mental health professionals and workers in a manner that ensures accountability.
Mental Health Services at the Community Level.
SEC. 15. Mental Health Services at the Community Level. - Responsive primary mental health services shall be developed and integrated as part of the basic health services at the appropriate level of care, particularly at the citv, municipal, and barangay level. The standards of mental health services shall be determined by the DOH in consultation with stakeholders based on current evidences.
Every local government unit (LGU) and academic institution shall create their own program in accordance with the general guidelines set by the Philippine Council for Mental Health, created under this Act, in coordination with other stakeholders, LGUs and academic institutions shall coordinate with all concerned government agencies and the private sector for the implementation of the program.
Community-based Mental Health Care Facilities.
SEC. 16. Community-based Mental Health Care Facilities. - The national government through the DOH shall fund the establishment and assist in the operation of community-based mental health care facilities in the provinces, cities and cluster of municipalities in the entire country based on the needs of the population, to provide appropriate mental health care services, and enhance the rights-based approach to mental health care.
Each community-based mental health care facility shall, in addition to adequate room, office or clinic, have a complement of mental health professionals, allied professionals, support staff, trained barangay health workers (BHWs), volunteer family members of patients or service users, basic equipment and supplies, and adequate stock of medicines appropriate at that level.
Reportorial Requirements.
SEC. 17. Reportorial Requirements. - LGUs through their health offices shall make- a quarterly report to the Philippine Council for Mental Health through the DOH. The report shall include, among others, the following date: number of patients/service users attended to and/or served, the respective kinds of mental illness or disability, duration and result of the treatment, and patients/service users' age. gender, educational attainment and employment without disclosing the identities of such patients/service users for confidentiality.
Psychiatric, Psychosocial, and Neurologic Services in Regional. Provincial, and Tertiary Hospitals.
SEC. 18. Psychiatric, Psychosocial, and Neurologic Services in Regional. Provincial, and Tertiary Hospitals. - All regional, provincial, and tertiary hospitals, including private hospitals rendering service to paying patients, shall provide the following psychiatric, psychosocial, and neurologic services:
(a) Short-term, in-patient hospital care in a small psychiatric or neurologic ward for service users exhibiting acute psychiatric or neurologic symptoms:
(b) Partial hospital care for those exhibiting psychiatric symptoms or experiencing difficulties vis-a-vis their personal and family circumstances:
(c) Out-patient services in close collaboration with existing mental health programs at primary health care centers in the same area;
(d) Home care services for service users with special needs as a result of, among others, long-term hospitalization, noncompliance with or inadequacy of treatment, and absence of immediate family:
(f) Coordination with drug rehabilitation centers vis-a-vis; the care, treatment, and rehabilitation of persons suffering from addiction and other substance-induced mental health conditions: and
(f) A referral system involving other public and private health and social welfare service providers, for the purpose of expanding access to programs aimed at preventing mental illness and managing the condition of persons at risk of developing mental, neurologic, and psychosocial problems.
Duties and Responsibilities of Mental Health Facilities.
SEC. 19. Duties and Responsibilities of Mental Health Facilities. - Mental, health facilities shall:
(a) Establish policies, guidelines, and protocols for minimizing the use of restrictive care and involuntary treatment;
(b) Inform service users of their rights under this Act and all other pertinent laws and regulations;
(c) Provide every service user, whether admitted for voluntary treatment, with complete information regarding the plan of treatment to be implemented;
(d) Ensure that informed consent is obtained from service users prior to the implementation of any medical procedure or plan of treatment or care, except during psychiatric or neurologic emergencies or when the service user has impairment or temporary loss of decision-making capacity:
(e) Maintain a register containing information on all medical treatments and procedures administered to service users: and
(f) Ensure that legal representatives are designated or appointed only after the requirements of this Act and the procedures established for the purpose have been observed, which procedures should respect the autonomy and preferences of the patient as far as possible.
Drug Screening Services.
SEC. 20. Drug Screening Services. - Pursuant to its duty to provide mental health services and consistent with the policy of treating drug dependency as a mental health issue, each local health care facility must be capable of conducting drug screening.
Suicide Prevention.
SEC. 21. Suicide Prevention. - Mental health services shall also include mechanisms for suicide intervention, prevention, and response strategies, with particular attention to the concerns of the youth. Twenty-four seven (24/7) hotlines, to provide assistance to individuals with mental health conditions, especially individuals at risk of committing suicide, shall be set up. and existing hotlines shall be strengthened.
Public Awareness.
SEC. 22. Public Awareness. - The DOH and the LGUs shall initiate and sustain a heightened nationwide multimedia campaign to raise the level, of public awareness on the protection and promotion of mental health and rights including, but not limited to. mental health and nutrition, stress handling, guidance and counselling, and other elements of mental health.
Source: Supreme Court E-Library, Republic of the Philippines. Philippine laws are public documents (works of the government).
