WATER TESTING LABORATORY

1. What is the PD 856?

Presidential Decree 856: Code on Sanitation of the Philippines
2. What is AO 31 S. 1979?
Requirements for the accreditation of water analysis laboratories
3. What are the aspects in the accreditation of water testing?
- Basic Requirements
- Personnel
- Physical Plant
- Laboratory Apparatus, Materials, Reagents
- Minimum required reference for each laboratory
4. Who should own a water testing laboratory?
- Any person, firm, or corporation desiring to establish or operate and maintain a
water analysis laboratory
5. When is inspection of a water testing laboratory?
- Within 60 days of receipt of application for accreditation
6. Describe the head of water testing laboratory.
- A licensed sanitary engineer; if water analysis laboratory is attached to a licensed
clinical laboratory, then the clinical pathologist licensed to supervise the clinical
laboratory concurrently also supervises the water analysis laboratory
7. How many testing laboratory may be handled or supervised?
- Up to three
8. Describe the qualification of assistance.
- Should be a registered pharmacist, medical technologist, or chemist. One with a
baccalaureate degree in biology may undertake biological analysis of water under the
supervision of a registered professional. Technical assistants must have been trained
and must have at least one year experience in the procedures involved in the
different aspects of water analysis. A technical assistant may supervise not more
than two skilled workers.
9. Describe the physical area of water testing laboratory.
(a) Work rooms must be housed in a permanent building constructed of strong
materials, preferably concrete or semi-concrete. The floor must be concrete or tiled
or linoleum-finished. It must also have adequate drainage.
(b) Work rooms should be well-ventilated with adequate provisions for either natural
or artificial lighting.
(c) The working space of the laboratory must correlate with the volume and type of
work it intends to do and periods of peak workload, and must consider the equipment

and number of personnel involved. Working space requirements must include

sufficient bench-top area for processing samples, storage space for media,
glasswares and portable equipment, and an adequate appropriate area for cleaning
glasswares and sterilizing materials. The bench-top working area needed for
processing samples should be at least 1.20-1.80 m of continuous area per analyst.
The working area for a specific service should be at least 20 sq. meters. A hood for
chemical, radiological and bacteriological units must be provided. The analytical
balance should be on a level and firm stand preferably cement-based. The work
space of each unit or service must be separate and adequate.
(d) A bench-height of 90 centimeters provides convenience for the worker who may
choose to stand or sit while performing various tasks. Laboratory benches 75
centimeters high should also be provided for other types of work. The laboratory
table or top working areas should be level.
(e) All work rooms should have adequate running water not stored water. Shower
facilities should be available.
(f) Adequate physical provisions for the safety of the laboratory personnel must be
provided considering exposure to chemicals, inflammable reagents, fires, etc. All
provisions of the safety and building code should be complied with.
ORGAN DONATION ACT OF 1991
1. What is RA 7170?
- "Organ Donation Act of 1991": AN ACT AUTHORIZING THE LEGACY OR
DONATION OF ALL OR PART OF A HUMAN BODY AFTER DEATH FOR
SPECIFIED PURPOSES
2. Define the following:
a. Organ Bank Storage Facility: a facility licensed, accredited or approved under
the law for storage of human bodies or parts thereof
b. Decedent: a deceased individual, and includes a still-born infant or fetus.
c. Testator: an individual who makes a legacy of all or part of his body.
d. Donor: an individual authorized under this Act to donate all or part of the
body of a decedent.
3. What are the transplantable organs?
- transplantable organs, tissues, eyes, bones, arteries, blood, other fluids and other
portions of the human body
4. Who declares that the person is dead?
- the attending physician and another consulting physician
5. Who may execute a legacy?
- Any individual

6. What are the qualifications of persons who may execute a legacy?

- At least eighteen (18) years of age and of sound mind
7. Who may become a legatee?
- Any hospital, physician or surgeon - For medical or dental education, research,
advancement of medical or dental science, therapy or transplantation;
- Any accredited medical or dental school, college or university - For education,
research, advancement of medical or dental science, or therapy;
- Any organ bank storage facility - For medical or dental education, research, therapy,
or transplantation; and
- Any specified individual - For therapy or transplantation needed by him.
8. What is the manner of executing a legacy?
- Legacy of all or part of the human body may be made by will. The legacy becomes
effective upon the death of the testator without waiting for probate of the will. If the
will is not probated, or if it is declared invalid for testamentary purposes, the legacy,
to the extent that it was executed in good faith, is nevertheless valid and effective.

- A legacy of all or part of the human body may also be made in any document other
than a will. The legacy becomes effective upon death of the testator and shall be
respected by and binding upon his executor or administrator, heirs, assigns,
successors-in-interest and all members of the family. The document, which may be a
card or any paper designed to be carried on a person, must be signed by the testator
in the presence of two witnesses who must sign the document in his presence. If the
testator cannot sign, the document may be signed for him at his discretion and in his
presence, in the presence of two witnesses who must, likewise, sign the document in
the presence of the testator. Delivery of the document of legacy during the testator's
lifetime is not necessary to make the legacy valid.
- The legacy may be made to a specified legatee or without specifying a legatee. If
the legacy is made to a specified legatee who is not available at the time and place
of the testator's death, the attending physician or surgeon, in the absence of any
expressed indication that the testator desired otherwise, may accept the legacy as
legatee. If the legacy does not specify a legatee, the legacy may be accepted by the
attending physician or surgeon as legatee upon or following the testator's death. The
physician who becomes a legatee under this subsection shall not participate in the
procedures for removing or transplanting a part or parts of the body of the decedent.
- The testator may designate in his will, card or other document, the surgeon or
physician who will carry out the appropriate procedures. In the absence of a
designation, or if the designee is not available, the legatee or other persons
authorized to accept the legacy may authorize any surgeon or physician for the
purpose
9. Who is authorized to remove a transplantable organ?
- Only authorized medical practitioners in a hospital shall remove and/or transplant

any organ which is authorized to be removed and/or transplanted

10. What organizations are allowed to engage in information drive regarding benefits of
transplantation?
- the Department of Health, in cooperation with institutions, such as the National
Kidney Institute, civic and non-government health organizations and other health
related agencies, involved in the donation and transplantation of human organs
NEW BORN SCREENING ACT OF 2004
1. What is RA 9288?
- "Newborn Screening Act of 2004.": AN ACT PROMULGATING A COMPREHENSIVE
POLICY AND A NATIONAL SYSTEM FOR ENSURING NEWBORN SCREENING
2. What is Newborn Screening?
- the process of collecting a few drops of blood from the newborn onto an appropriate
collection card and performing biochemical testing for determining if the newborn
has a heritable condition.
3. What are the metabolic disorders?
- congenital hypothyroidism (CH), congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH),
phenylketonuria (PKU), glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase (G6PD) deficiency,
galactosemia (GAL) and maple syrup urine disease (MSUD)
4. Define:
a. NIH: National Institute of Health
b. Newborn: a child from the time of complete delivery to 30 days old.
c. Newborn screening center: a facility equipped with a newborn screening
laboratory that complies with the standards established by the NIH and
provides all required laboratory tests and recall/follow-up programs for
newborns with heritable conditions.
5. When is Newborn Screening performed?
- Newborn screening shall be performed after twenty-four (24) hours of life but not
later than three (3) days from complete delivery of the newborn. A newborn that
must be placed in intensive care in order to ensure survival may be exempted from
the 3-day requirement but must be tested by seven (7) days of age. It shall be the
joint responsibility of the parent(s) and the practitioner or other person delivering the
newborn to ensure that newborn screening is performed. An appropriate
informational brochure for parents to assist in fulfilling this responsibility shall be
made available by the Department of Health and shall be distributed to all health
institutions and made available to any health practitioner requesting it for
appropriate distribution.
6. When is Newborn screening be refused?
- a parent or legal guardian may refuse testing on the grounds of religious beliefs, but
shall acknowledge in writing their understanding that refusal for testing places their
newborn at risk for undiagnosed heritable conditions. A copy of this refusal
documentation shall be made part of the newborn's medical record and refusal shall

be indicated in the national newborn screening database.

7. What is the specimen for newborn screening?
- a few drops of blood
8. Who may perform Newborn Testing?
- The blood sample for NBS may be collected by any of the following: physician,
nurse, medical technologist or trained midwife.
9. What are the possible treatments for metabolic disorders?
- prompt, appropriate and adequate medicine, medical, and surgical management or
dietary prescription to a newborn for purposes of treating or mitigating the adverse
health consequences of the heritable condition.
10. What may require institutions to provide Newborn Screening?
- The DOH and the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC) shall require health
institutions to provide newborn screening services as a condition for licensure or
accreditation

11. Who are the members of the advisory committee of Newborn Screening?
- The Committee shall be composed of eight (8) members, including the Secretary of
Health who shall act as Chairman. The other members of the Committee shall be as
follows: (i) the Executive Director of the NIH, who shall act as Vice Chairperson; (ii) an
Undersecretary of the DILG; (iii) the Executive Director of the Council for the Welfare
of Children (iv) the Director of the Newborn Screening Reference Center; and (v)
three (3) representatives appointed by the Secretary of Health who shall be a
pediatrician, obstetrician, endocrinologist, family physician, nurse or midwife, from
either the public or private sector.