(NAR) VOL. 24 NO. 4 / OCTOBER - DECEMBER 2013
Rule I
Policy and Application
Section 1. Title. These guidelines shall be known as the PITAHC Guidelines on the National Certification of Naturopaths and Accreditation of Naturopathy Training Programs, Training Centers and Naturopathy Centers/Facilities.
Section 2. Purpose. These Guidelines are promulgated to prescribe the procedures and guidelines for the implementation of PITAHC IRR on the National Certification of Naturopaths and Accreditation of Naturopathy Training Programs, Training Centers and Naturopathy Centers/Facilities pursuant to Rule VI, Promotion, Advocacy and Training and Rule VIII, Codes of Practice of IRR of RA 8423. These Rules also serve the accreditation of naturopathy training programs, training centers and centers/facilities to pursue continuous service improvement, and strengthen the accountability of all stakeholders in the traditional and alternative health care practices.
Section 3. Declaration of Policy. It is the policy of the State to improve the quality and delivery of health care services to the Filipino people through the development of traditional and alternative health care and its integration into the national health care delivery system.
Section 4. Scope of Application. These guidelines shall apply to the following:
4.1 | Accreditation of Training Programs |
4.2 | Accreditation of Training Centers for Naturopathy |
4.3 | Accreditation of Naturopathy Centers/Facilities |
4.4 | National Certification of Naturopaths |
Section 5. Definition of Terms. For the purpose of these guidelines, the following terms and words and phrases shall mean or be understood as follows:
Rule II
The National Certification of Naturopaths/Medical Naturopaths
Section 1. The National Certification Committee for Naturopathy. For the purpose of certifying Naturopaths, Medical Naturopaths, the PITAHC Director General shall invite active practitioners in the field of Naturopathy, hereinafter referred to as National Certification Committee for Naturopathy. The invitation is valid only for the period indicated herein, and may be renewed by the Director- General.
PITAHC Advocacy and Training Division Chief
PITAHC Standard and Accreditation Division Chief
Representatives of the following sectors:
The PITAHC Director General, upon recommendation of a Committee for selection of the Sectoral Representatives, shall appoint the five (5) Sectoral representatives. Of the initial appointive members, three (3) shall have a term of two (2) years and the remaining two (2) shall have a term of one (1) year. Any vacancy can be filled provided they serve the expired term of the vacancy.Two (2) Medical Naturopaths
One (1) Naturopathic practitioner
One (1) Representative from an Accredited Naturopathy Training Center/School
One (1) Representative from a Naturopathy-related Consumer’s Group/Health-Related NGO
Section 2. Duties and Functions of the Committee
Section 3. National Certification Assessment Content Outline. The National Certification for Naturopathy covers the knowledge and skills of each competency. It also covers the basic approaches of applied science.
To obtain this qualification, the following units of competency must be achieved:
Section 4. Candidates for National Certification for Naturopathy must possess the following qualifications and submit the following requirements:
1.1 | Have completed the prescribed naturopathy course in a learning institution accredited by the PITAHC National Certification Committee for Naturopathy, satisfactorily passed the corresponding naturopathic certification examination, and is a holder of a valid Certificate of Registration duly issued by the PITAHC National Certification Committee for Naturopathy. |
1.2 | The naturopathy course referred to in the preceding paragraph refers to no less than 1500 hours, including no less than 400 hours of supervised clinical training or equivalent of a minimum of two (2) years of full-time study. The said naturopathy course shall include the items stipulated in the PITAHC Competency Standards for Naturopathy. |
1.3 | For Filipino naturopaths trained abroad their applications and portfolios will be processed/reviewed and approved upon passing the examination by an authorized component body for this purpose. |
2.1 | A licensed physician of good moral character |
2.2 | A graduate of not less than 1000 hours, including no fewer than 400 hours of supervised clinical training in Naturopathy for Physicians as a technique for clinical work with: • 500 hours (450-600 hours) of Basic Principles and Theories |
2.3 | A certificate awarded for attendance in classroom and clinic settings from accredited PITAHC training center or school of naturopathy |
* Note: The number of hours required is based on the WHO Benchmarks for Training in Naturopathy.
Section 5. Application Fees. An application fee for national certification assessment of five hundred pesos (P500.00) shall be collected from applicants who have complied with the requirements for national certification assessment. For Community Based Health Programs, the application fee shall be three hundred pesos (P300.00). This application fee may be changed any time upon review of the Committee.
Section 6. Place of Assessment. The assessment for Certification of Naturopaths shall be conducted at PITAHC or at other venues as may be determined by PITAHC Committee.
Section 7. Result of Assessment. Results of the assessment shall only be “pass” or “fail”. Results shall be published at the bulletin board or publication of PITAHC.
Section 8. Accreditation Fees
Section 9. Validity of Certificate of Accreditation. A Certificate of Accreditation granted under these guidelines shall be valid for three (3) years thereafter subject to suspension or cancellation for cause to be determined by PITAHC Committee.
Section 10. Renewal of Accreditation. The Accreditation shall be renewed on or before its date of expiration. A penalty of two hundred fifty pesos (P250.00) shall be charged based on the national accounting rules and regulation per year for non-renewal by the Naturopath. A penalty of seventy-five pesos (P75.00) shall be charged per year for non-renewal by the Community-Based Naturopath. The penalty fee may be changed anytime upon review of PITAHC.
Section 11. National Certified Naturopath Service Provision
Section 12. Provisional Certification. PITAHC shall waive the requirements and grant a certificate to practice Naturopathy to a resident Filipino applicant, who is already practicing Naturopathy, residing in the Philippines at the time of approval of the Guidelines, who presents evidence satisfactory to the PITAHC National Certification Committee for Naturopathy not later than three (3) years upon effectivity of the Guidelines of successful completion of a PITAHC approved Naturopathy training program.
Section 13. Certification of Non-Filipino Naturopath
1.1 | Be a holder of a Philippine passport and has resided in the country for not less than 3 years and secure an Alien Employment Permit from the DOLE | |
1.2 | Satisfy the IELTS or TOEFL and fluent in Filipino | |
1.3 | Have completed the prescribed Naturopathy course in a learning institution accredited/recognized by the PITAHC National Certification Committee for Naturopathy, satisfactorily passed the corresponding naturopathic licensure examination, and is a holder of a valid Certificate of Registration duly issued to him by the PITAHC National Certification Committee. | |
1.4 | The naturopathy course referred to in the preceding paragraph refers to no less than 1500 hours, including no less than 400 hours of supervised clinical training or equivalent of a minimum of two (2) years of full-time study. The said naturopathy course shall include the items stipulated in the PITAHC Competency Standards for Naturopathy. | |
1.5 | Have passed the registration/certification examination by an authorized component body for this purpose | |
1.6 | Provide the following: | |
a. | Documentation of licensed/certified practice of Naturopathy with a minimum of 100 different patients; | |
b. | Licensure or certification specifying the number of years of licensure/ certification in his/her country or state, authenticated by the Philippine Consulate from country of origin | |
c. | Documentation of current active certification in Naturopathy in his/her country or state, authenticated by the Philippine Consulate from country of origin | |
1.7 | Foreign certified Naturopaths must practice under the supervision of a Filipino PITAHC-certified Naturopath Practitioner or Certified Medical Naturopaths | |
1.8 | Every Naturopath who is issued a Certification to practice in Philippines shall pay an application fee of five hundred dollars (US$500.00), an annual Naturopathy certification fee of one thousand dollars (US$1000.00) and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred dollars (US$300.00) prior to beginning practice, and 30 days before the end of the year must submit a renewal form and fee for the next year. | |
1.9 | A renewal accreditation fee of one thousand dollars (US$1 000.00) and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred dollars ($300.00) shall be collected. | |
1.10 | A penalty of five hundred dollars (US$500.00) shall be charged per month of non-renewal by the Naturopath. |
Section 14. Grounds for Cancellation of Naturopath National Certification. The following are grounds upon which the Naturopath national certification may be revoked, canceled or suspended:
Rule III
Accreditation of Training Programs
Section 1. All training centers offering courses for naturopathy are required to register their course modules based on PITAHC Competency Standard, in line with the policy of ensuring the quality of programs and courses in all institutions offering or intending to offer traditional and alternative health care courses. Program accreditation applies to mandatory compliance with minimum standards of all traditional and alternative health care courses including programs/courses being offered by public and private training institutions.
Section 2. The application for accreditation of Naturopathy programs may be filed at the PITAHC where the Naturopathy Training programs shall be evaluated and the National Certification Assessment shall be conducted.
Section 3. The PITAHC shall do monitoring of the continuous compliance by the Training Centers with the minimum requirements of PITAHC prescribed standard.
Rule IV
Training Centers of Naturopathy
Section 1. Requirements for the Training Centers. The following requirements for the accreditation of Training Centers shall be submitted to PITAHC.
A. | Naturopathy Training Centers | ||
1. | Facilities and Equipment | ||
1.1 | One (1) well-ventilated and lighted classroom complete with audio/visual equipment with desks, writing boards teaching materials that can accommodate at least 20 persons at any given time. | ||
1.2 | One (1) well-ventilated and lighted prototype assessment/examination room with chairs and tables for students with the following instruments like stethoscope, sphygmomanometer (non-mercurial), thermometer (non-mercurial), weighing scale, Iridology assessment tools, Live blood analysis assessment tools etc.) | ||
1.3 | At least one (1) well-ventilated and lighted treatment room prototype that can accommodate at least 10 students at any given time. | ||
1.4 | Well-ventilated and lighted auxiliary rooms such as:
| ||
1.5 | A library with books and AV materials relevant to the courses offered (Refer to PITAHC Competency Standard on Naturopathy) | ||
1.6 | Training materials, equipment, and accessories based on training standards and course offering. | ||
1.7 | An original copy of the PITAHC Competency Standards of Naturopathy and PITAHC Code of Ethics | ||
2. | Personnel | ||
2.1 | The Naturopathy Training Center should have adequate personnel requirements with updated bio-data and designation and valid health certificates: a full time Training officer who must at least be a college graduate; regular staff for the academic training program. | ||
2.2 | The academic and skills trainers should have passed the PITAHC Training of Trainers Competency Assessment. | ||
B. | Community -Based Naturopathy Training Centers | ||
1. | Facilities and Equipment | ||
1.1 | One well -ventilated and well -lighted room/area used as:
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1.2 | Auxiliary room such as
| ||
1.3 | A library with books, audiovisual materials relevant to the course offered. (Refer to PITAHC Competency Standard on Naturopathy). | ||
1.4 | Training materials, equipment, and accessories based on training standards and course offering, as specified in the competency standards on Naturopathy. | ||
1.5 | An original copy of the PITAHC Competency Standards of Naturopathy and PITAHC Code of Ethics | ||
2. | Personnel A Community- Based Training Center should have a Training Officer/trainer who should have passed the PITAHC Training of Trainers Competency Assessment. | ||
C. | Training Curriculum
A Training Center’s curriculum must be based on the PITAHC Competency Standard for Naturopathy. |
Section 2. Accreditation of Training Centers. A Certificate of Accreditation of a Training Center shall be issued to a person or to an institution that submits required documents to PITAHC and complies with the following:
10.1 | An application fee of one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) shall be paid by the Naturopathy Training Center to PITAHC. |
10.2 | An application fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be paid by the Community-Based Naturopathy Training Center to PITAHC. |
Section 3. Inspection and Approval of Training Centers. Upon receipt of the applicant's notice, a duly authorized PITAHC quality assessment team shall conduct inspection at the proposed training centers to determine compliance with facilities and operation requirements. Section 4. Issuance of Certificate of Accreditation. If the applicant has satisfactorily complied with the minimum prescribed requirement, PITAHC shall then issue the Certificate of Accreditation with a PITAHC dry seal in favor of the applicant.
Section 5. Grounds for Cancellation of Accreditation. Any of the following acts or omissions shall be sufficient ground for cancellation of accreditation of a training center:
Section 6. Validity of Certificate of Accreditation. A Certificate of Accreditation granted under these guidelines shall be valid for one (1) year from date of issue for a newly accredited Training Center. Date of renewal shall be done annually, thereafter subject to suspension or cancellation for cause to be determined by PITAHC.
Section 7. Non-transferability of Certificate of Accreditation. The Certificate of Accreditation of a Training Center shall be non-transferable.
Section 8. Accreditation Fees. The accreditation fee shall be collected from those applicants who have complied with the requirements for accreditation. An accreditation fee will be collected based on the national accounting rules and regulation and may be changed anytime upon review of PITAHC Committee.
1. | For Naturopathy Training Centers | |
1.1 | An accreditation fee for new applicants of ten thousand pesos (P10,000.00) for one year and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be collected. | |
1.2 | A renewal accreditation fee of three thousand (P3,000.00) for three years and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be collected. | |
2. | For Community-Based Naturopathy Training Centers | |
2.1 | An accreditation fee of three thousand pesos (P3,000.00) and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be collected from newly accredited applicants. | |
2.2 | An accreditation fee of one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) and an additional accreditation certificate fee of one hundred pesos (P100.00) shall be collected from renewing accredited applicants. |
Section 9. Renewal of Accreditation. The Accreditation shall be renewed on or before its date of expiration. The penalty fee may be changed any time upon review of PITAHC Committee
9.1 | A penalty of five hundred pesos (P500.00) shall be charged per year for nonrenewal by the Naturopathy Training Center. |
9.2 | A penalty of one hundred fifty pesos (P150.00) shall be charged per year for non-renewal by the Community Based Naturopathy Training Center. |
Rule V
Accreditation of Naturopathy Centers/Facilities
Section 1. Requirements for Naturopathy Centers/Facilities
A. The following requirements for the accreditation of Naturopathy centers/ facilities shall be submitted to PITAHC.
1. | Facilities and Equipment | |
1.1 | Well-ventilated and lighted Naturopathy treatment rooms with:
| |
1.2 | One (1) well-ventilated and lighted prototype assessment/examination room with chairs and tables equipped with the following instruments (such as magnifying glass, pen lights, etc ) | |
1.3 | Well-ventilated and lighted auxiliary rooms such as:
| |
2. | Personnel | |
2.1 | Naturopaths in Naturopathy Center/Facility must be:
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2.2 | Center Receptionist | |
B. | The following are the requirements for Community-Based Naturopathy Centers | |
1. | Facilities and Equipment | |
1.1 | A well-ventilated and lighted Naturopathy treatment room with:
| |
1.2 | Well-ventilated and lighted auxiliary rooms such as:
| |
2. | Personnel | |
2.1 | Naturopaths in a Community Based Naturopathy Center should at least be a PITAHC-Certified Naturopathic Practitioner or PITAHCCertified Medical Naturopath |
Section 2. Accreditation of Naturopathy Centers/Facilities. A Certificate of Accreditation of a Naturopathy Center shall be issued to a person who or to an institution that submits required documents to PITAHC and complies with the following:
5.1 | An application fee of One thousand pesos (P1,000.00) shall be paid by the Naturopathy Center/Facility to PITAHC |
5.2 | An application fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be paid by the Community Based Naturopathy Center/Facility to PITAHC. |
Section 3. Inspection and Approval of Naturopathy Centers/Facilities. Upon receipt of the applicant’s notice, a duly authorized PITAHC quality assessment team shall conduct inspection of the Naturopathy center to determine compliance with facilities and operation requirements.
Section 4. Issuance of Certificate of Accreditation. If the applicant has satisfactorily complied with the minimum prescribed requirement, PITAHC shall then issue the Certificate of Accreditation with a PITAHC dry seal in favor of the applicant.
Section 5. Grounds for Cancellation of Accreditation. Any of the following acts or omissions shall be sufficient ground for the cancellation of accreditation of a Naturopathy center:
Section 6. Validity of Certificate of Accreditation. A Certificate of Accreditation granted under these guidelines shall be valid for two (2) years thereafter subject to suspension or cancellation for cause to be determined by PITAHC.
Section 7. Non-transferability of Certificate of Accreditation. The Certificate of Accreditation of a Naturopathy Center/Facility shall be nontransferable.
Section 8. Accreditation Fees. An accreditation fee shall be collected based on the national accounting rules and regulation from those applicants who have complied with the requirements of accreditation. The accreditation fee may be changed any time upon review of PITAHC Committee.
1. | For Naturopathy Centers/Facilities | |
1.1 | An accreditation fee of one thousand five hundred pesos (P1,500.00) and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be collected from accredited applicants. | |
1.2 | A renewal accreditation fee of one thousand five hundred pesos (P1,500.00) for two (2) years and an additional accreditation certificate fee of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be collected. | |
2. | For Community-Based Naturopathy Centers/Facilities | |
2.1 | An accreditation fee of five hundred pesos (P500.00) and an additional accreditation certificate fee of one hundred pesos (P100.00) shall be collected from accredited applicants. | |
2.2 | A renewal accreditation fee of five hundred pesos (P500.00) for two (2) years and an additional accreditation certificate fee of one hundred pesos (P100.00) shall be collected. |
Section 9. Renewal of Accreditation. The Accreditation shall be renewed on or before its date of expiration. The penalty fee may be changed anytime upon review of PITAHC Committee.
9.1 | A penalty of one thousand pesos (P1,000.00) shall be charged per year for non-renewal by the Naturopathy Center/Facility. |
9.2 | A penalty of three hundred pesos (P300.00) shall be charged per year for non-renewal by the Community- Based Naturopathy Center/Facility. |
Rule VI
Final Provisions
Section 1. All issuances inconsistent with the provisions of this Memorandum Circular are hereby suspended or amended accordingly.
Section 2. Effectivity. These Guidelines shall take effect fifteen (15) days after publication in the Office of the National Administrative Register (ONAR) or Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of general circulation. All issuances inconsistent with the provisions of this Memorandum Circular are hereby suspended or amended accordingly.
(SGD) JUVENCIO F. ORDOÑA, MD
PITAHC Director-General