Act No. 247, AN ACT providing for the establishment of a civil hospital at Manila

[No. 247.]
AN ACT providing for the establishment of a civil hospital at Manila

By authority of the President of the United States, be it enacted by the United States Philippine Commission, that:

Section 1. There shall be a civil hospital at Manila which shall be known as the Philippine Civil Hospital.

Sec. 2. In the admission of patients, preference shall be given to the officers and employ&i} of the insular and provincial govemmeiits
and of the city of Manila. Emergency cases among other civil^tns
shall be received at the hospital and treated free of charge until such
time as they can safely be removed. Civilians, other than civil officers
and emplov^s, may be admitted for treatment up to the limit of Uie
capacity of the institution under such regulations as may be estab-
lished b^ the Attending Physician and Surgeon and the Commissioner
of Public Health and approved by the Secretary of the Interior.

Sec. 3. The Civil Hospital shall have waros and private rooms.
Patients who desire private rooms shall pay for them at the rate of
not less than ten dollars ($10) nor more than twenty dollars ($20) per
week, the exact amount to be permanently fixed for each room by the
Attending Physician and Surgeon. Medical and surgical attendance,
medical supplies, nursing ana food shall be furnished to all patients,
except emergency cases, at a uniform charge of one dollar ($1.00) per
day each; provided, that the charge of one dollar ($1.00) per day may
be remitted, in view of the circumstances of the patient, in accordance
with regulations to be adopted by the Attending Physician and Sur-

§eon and the Commissioner of Public Health, with the approval of the
ecretary of the Interior.

Sec. 4. TheAttendingPhysicianandSurgeon, the Assistant Attend-
ing Physician and Surgeon and the Dispensing Clerk, appointed under
Act No. 189, shall become the Attending Physician and Surgeon, tiie
Assistant Attending Physician and Surgeon and the Dispensmg Clerk
of the hospital herein created, without additional compensation. There
shall be in addition to the foregoing, the following employes in the
hospital:

(a) A superintendent, who shall receive compensation at the rate of
one thousand, two hundred dollars ($1,200) per year;

(J) A chief nurse, who shall receive compensation attiie rate of nine
hundred dollars ($900) per year;

(e) A dietist, who shall receive compensation at the rate of six hun-
dred dollars ($600) per year;

(d) Four trianed nurses, who shall receive compensation at tiie rate
of six hundred dollars ($600) per year each;

(e) Four ward attendants, wno shall receive compensation at the rate
of six hundred dollars ($600) per year each;

(/) One cook, who shall receive compensation at the rate of three
hunared dollars ($300) per year;

(g) One assistant cook, who ‘shall receive compensation at tiie rate
of one hundred and eighty dollars ($180) per year;

(A) One ambulance driver, who shall receive compensation at the
rate of six hundred dollars ($600) per year;

(^) One driver for market-wagon, who shall receive compensation
at the rate of one hundred and twenty dollars ($120) per year;

(J) Four servants, who shall receive compensation at the rate of
ninety dollars ($90) per year each;

(k) Two laborers for the hospital grounds, who shall receive com-
pensation at the rate of one hundred and twenty dollars ($120) per
year each; provided, that there may be temporarily employed such
other servants and laborers as may be deemed necessary by the
Attending Physician and Surgeon and approved by the Secretary of
the Interior.

Sbo. 5. The superintendent, the dispensing clerk, the nurses, the

dietist, the ward attendants, the cook, the assistant cook, the drivers,
the servants and regularly employed laborers shall be furnished food
and lodging on the hospital grounds free of charge.

Sec. 6. The Attending Physician and Surgeon shall have direct super-
vision and control ov«r the Civil Hospital, and shall appoint all its
other officers and employes and shall define and supervise the discharge
of their duties. He shall visit the hospital at least twice daily, and he
and the Assistant Attending Physician and Surgeon shall render all
necessary medical and surgical attendance to its inmates; provided^
that should the number of patientn become so great as to necessitate
additional medical attendance, the Attending Physician and Surgeon
may, with the approval of the Secretary of the Interior, appomt a
House Surgeon, wno shall receive compensation at a rate not to exceed
one thousand dollars ($1,000) per vear, who shall live on the hospital
grounds and shall be furnished board and lodging free of charge;
pro^yided further^ that patients occupying private rooms may employ,
at their own expense, other physicians to attend them. Ph^^sicians
not attached to the hospital staff, who may attend patients in private
rooms, shall conform to the rules and regulations of the hospital.

Sec. 7. The Attending Physician and Surgeon, Hhe Assistant Attend-
ing Physician and Surgeon and the Dispensing Clerk shall continue to
discharge the duties prescribed for them respectively in Act No. 189;
j/rovidea^ that the office and the operating room of the Attending Phy-
sician and Surgeon and the dispensary shall be transferred to the hos-
pital building and that all surgical operations for civil officers and
employ^ and for members of their families shall be performed in the
operating room of the Civil Hospital, except when, the Attending
Pnysician and Surgeon shall deem it advisable to perform an operation
at the home of a patient. The Attending Physician and Surgeon is
hereb}’ authorized to direct the transfer to the Civil Hospital of all
civilian patients who in his judgment can best be treated there, and
he shall not be compelled to treat any civil officer or employe or mem-
ber of his family who shall refuse to go to the hospital w^hen so
directed.

Sec. 8. Disbursements for the Civil Hospital shall be made by the
Disbursing Officer of the Board of Health tor the Philippine Islands.

Sec. 9. The public good requiring the speedy enactment of this bill,
the passage of the same is hereby expedited in accordance with section
2 of *’An Act Prescribing the Order of Procedure by the Commission
in the Enactment of Laws,” passed September 26, 1900.

Sec. 10. This act shall take effect on its passage.

Enacted, October 1, 1901.