HIGHLIGHTS OF ACCOMPLISHMENTS
January - December 2003

A. Standards and Accreditation

1. Rationale

       The development of complementary, traditional, alternative and indigenous health care must address the issue of improving people's access to health care and medical treatment towards a more effective delivery of health services. In this regards, a public hearing/workshop was conducted as a preliminary step to finalize the draft competency standard, accreditation procedures and code of ethics for acupuncture for medical and non-medical practitioners and Tui Na massage therapists.

2. General Description

       The respective documents for review were sent more than a week before the public review workshop to selected medical and non-medical practitioners of acupuncture and Tui Na massage from NGOs, the academe and some private practitioners who were identified to participate. In the letter of invitation to these participants, they were instructed to consult with their respective groups (organizations) regarding their comments on the standards, code of ethics and accreditation procedures prepared by PITAHC with technical assistance from its respective consultants; consolidate all comments made by their group and then prepare a one (1) page summary for each of the above mentioned documents which they will read during the workshop. Physician acupuncturist joined the workshop on the second day for the public hearing on acupuncture for non-physicians while non-physician and physician acupuncturists who are also Tui Na massage therapy practitioners participated also on the third day for the discussion of the Tui Na massage therapy documents.

3. Major Features

       Issues were raised and discussed during the public review workshops:

a) Re: Comparison with recommended WHO standards, the PITAHC competency standards of acupuncture for both physicians and non-physicians meet the minimum standards recommended by WHO. There were no WHO standards Tui Na Massage Therapy to compare with. Hence the PITAHC standards for Tui Na Massage Therapy are particular to the Philippine situation and would be evaluated based on experiences of Filipino practitioners. However, the participants did not adopt the total number of Acupuncture points recommended by the WHO. What was agreed upon by the groups was that the number of acupuncture points for assessment under each category would be those appropriate for the Philippine setting, beginning with those in actual use by majority of the Filipino practitioners ranging from 75 (INAM), 100 (PAMAI) to 120 (PCTAM).

b) Primary Health Care concerns regarding Traditional and Alternative Medicine

Although it is recognized that training centers and institutes cater to the need of foreign markets, the need to develop acupuncture and Tui Na Massage Therapy primarily for domestic requirements there is still a prior need for PITAHC to ensure the gradual integration of complementary, traditional, alternative and indigenous health care in the national health care delivery system.

c) Re: Code of ethics

The PITAHC Code of Ethics considered an existing code of ethics by a Filipino medical acupuncturist association (PAMAI). It also considered updated code of ethics, the Charter on medical Professionalism, suggested by AKKAP, as a result of challenges presently confronting the medical profession- explosion of technology, changing market forces, problems in health care delivery, bio-terrorism and globalization. The following principles upheld included: Principle of primacy of Client's Welfare, Principle of Clients' Autonomy, and Principle of Social Justice. Pertinent sections from the Code of Ethics of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork were included.

d) Re: Accreditation System for Acupuncture by Physicians

CHED and PITAHC

Difficulty instituting a post-graduate course in colleges and universities due to lack of qualified teachers. CHED requires a Master's degree to teach acupuncture as a post-graduate course. It is presumed that the highest current level of acupuncture training achieved by a practitioner in the Philippines is equivalent to only a bachelor's degree.

e) Training of Trainers and Training Institutes/Centers

To ensure the development of acupuncturists and Tui Na massage therapists committed to serve the primary health care needs of the communities, the participants saw the need for PITAHC and TESDA to do the following:

1) Develop trainers and training centers that are community oriented and have a sustainable developmental framework (example: required community exposure and practice or elective at every step of the training process),

2) Develop teachers and educational establishments with a holistic paradigm and a broad perspective to integrative healing,

3) Develop mentors and model professional institutions with insight as well as clarity of processes that will enable practitioners and therapists as compassionate and competent healers while at the same time team players and leaders,

4) Encourage the development of guilds to form communities of practitioners and therapists to ensure protection of the public (quality assurance), and

5) Accredit community based or community managed health programs' acupuncture and Tui na massage therapy training programs suited to the needs of community health workers.

f) Others

Encourage the integration of acupuncture and Tui Na massage therapy with Philippine indigenous medicine through partnership with indigenous healers and research (example: efficacy of acupuncture/Tui Na massage with Philippine herbal medicine or other indigenous healing practices).

Practiced of unregistered Chinese nationals (both physicians and non-medical practitioners) outside Chinatown. Government policy is that their practice is restricted to Chinatown area and to have Chinese nationals and Filipino-Chinese as patients. They are now reported to be treating Filipino nationals with acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine under the sponsorship of Filipino or Filipino-Chinese physicians. Some take advantage of patients with terminal disease by charging exorbitant fees. This is in contrast to non-medical Filipino acupuncture practitioner who cannot practice even in their own country as the Philippine Board of medicine restricts the practice of acupuncture to physicians only. These non-medical Filipino acupuncture practitioners can be charged with illegal practice of medicine under the 1950s medical Act.

4. Relevance to the Desired Outcomes in the Implementation of the HSRA

       The competency standards for acupuncture and Tui Na massage therapy and its respective accreditation and codes of ethical practice once implemented will assure the patients or the clients that the services being provided to them are of the standard quality expected from the practitioner.

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B. Public Information

1. Rationale

       PITAHC is mandated to promote the utilization of safe, effective, cost-effective and acceptable traditional and alternative health care (TAHC) modalities per Republic Act 8423, otherwise know as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act of 1997.

       In its effort to promote said modalities, the Institute has intensified its advocacy and promotional activities through its Public Information Division.

2. General Description

       As an offshoot to the implementation of the Interim Organizational Structure, the promotion of the programs, services, facilities and products were likewise intensified through the use of multi-media approach.

3. Major Features

A. Print Media - Well-being, a bi-monthly newsletter of PITAHC was launched and published last February 10, 2004. Said newsletter was distributed nationwide in Department of Health Centers for Health Development, Government-retained hospitals, government agencies, non-government organizations, civic organizations, private sector, traditional and alternative health care practitioners, private individuals. Well-being contains information on TAHC that are beneficial for health maintenance and prevention of diseases. Known TAHC practitioners are regularly invited to contribute their knowledge and expertise.

Major newspapers are also tapped to publish necessary information about its programs and activities e.g. the Seminar Series every 2nd and last Friday of each month.

B. Broadcast Media - Radio and television are also used to promote its programs, activities, services, facilities and products.

C. Internet - Its website is now more informative and dynamic to achieve greater coverage.