Towards a Clearer Vision for the Filipino People
The importance of traditional
medicine in providing essential health care to the people should be recognized. At
present, its use has tremendously expanded and gained wide global acceptance and
popularity. In the Philippines, the practice of traditional medicine, which was passed
on from generation to generation, has gained a deep significance in health delivery
considering the expensive western medical treatment which most Filipinos could not
afford.
In 1992, the Department of Health (DOH),
through former Health Secretary and incumbent Senator Juan M. Flavier, first came out
with the Traditional Medicine Program by virtue of Administrative Order No. 12. This
special program was tasked to promote and advocate traditional medicine nationwide.
In order to institutionalize the program, the drafting of a traditional medicine law
started in 1994. Then in 1997, President Fidel V. Ramos, appreciating the potential of
traditional medicine in our health and economy, included this as one of his
administration's pole-vaulting strategies.
The timely approval of Republic Act 8423
(R.A. 8423) otherwise known as the Traditional and Alternative Medicine Act (TAMA) of
1997 gave rise to the creation of the Philippine Institute of Traditional and
Alternative Health Care (PITAHC), a government owned and controlled corporation (GOCC)
attached to the DOH to answer the present needs of the people on health care through
the provision and delivery of traditional and alternative health care (TAHC) products,
services and technologies that have been proven safe, effective and affordable.
Foremost among its objectives are:
To encourage scientific research on and develop traditional
and alternative health care systems that have direct impact on public health
care; To promote and advocate the use of traditional, alternative,
preventive and curative health care modalities that have been proven safe, effective,
cost-effective and consistent with government standards on medical practice; To develop and coordinate skills training courses for various
forms of traditional and alternative health care modalities; To formulate standards, guidelines and codes of ethical practice
appropriate for the practice of traditional and alternative health care as well as in
the manufacture, quality control and marketing of different traditional and
alternative health care materials, natural and organic products, for approval and
adoption by the appropriate government agencies; To formulate policies for the protection of indigenous and
natural health resources and technology from unwarranted exploitation, for approval
and adoption by the appropriate government agencies; To formulate policies to strengthen the role of traditional and
alternative health care delivery system; and To promote traditional and alternative health care in
international and national conventions, seminars and meetings in coordination with
the Department of Tourism, Duty Free Philippines, Incorporated, Philippine Convention
and Visitors Corporation and other tourism-related agencies as well as non-government
and local government units.
Vision
"Traditional and alternative
health care in the hands of the people"
Mission
"PITAHC upholds the right of
every Filipino for better health through the provision of safe, effective and
affordable traditional and alternative health care products, services and
technologies."
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