History of Public Health Nursing in the Philippines

Health beliefs rooted in superstition; disease thought to be caused by enemies, witches, or evil spirits.
Early care relied on rituals and banishing demons; healers used spiritual methods.

1578: Male nurses acknowledged as friars’ assistants (practicante/enfermero).
Hospitals built across the Philippines; care largely driven by religious orders.
1565 Hospital Real (Cebu) established for Spanish soldiers; later moved to Manila; authorized by King Philip II.
1578 San Lazaro Hospital founded for leprosy; administered by Hospitalliers of San Juan de Dios.
1583 Franciscan mission: Hospital de Naturales with two nipa-and-bamboo wards and a free pharmacy; care by friars.
1590 Hospital de Aguas Santas (Laguna) and Hospital de la Misericordia (care for servants/slaves; treatment for women rejected by Hospital Real).
1596 San Juan de Dios Hospital established; funded by alms and rents; general health services.
1796 Jenner smallpox vaccine introduced in the Philippines.

Women emerged as nurses and provided care for wounded soldiers; involvement of the Filipino Red Cross.
Notable nurses and figures:
- Josephine Bracken; Rosa Sevilla de Alvero; Dona Hilaria de Aguinaldo; Dona Maria Agoncillo de Aguinaldo.
- Melchora Aquino (Tandang Sora); Capitan Salome; Agueda Kahabagan; Trinidad Tecson (Ina ng Biak-na-Bato).

1903 Pensionado Act: Filipino nursing students could study in the United States.
1906 Iloilo Mission Hospital established; first hospital-based nurse training; initial admission requirements were flexible.
1901-1911 Hospital School of Nursing provided formal training; response to manpower shortages in American-established hospitals.
1907 First U.S.-style nursing training introduction in the Philippines.
1911-1921 Start of formal nursing practice and regulation:
- Act No. 2493 amended the Medical Law (Act No. 310).
- 1919 First Nursing Law (Act 2808);
- Board Examiners for Nursing established; 1920 first board examination; early leadership by a physician as executive officer.
1921-1931 Professional organization established: Filipino Nurses Association (Oct 15); published Filipino Nurse Journal (later The Philippine Journal of Nursing).
1922 Act No. 3025 required annual registration for nurses.
1929 Philippine nursing schools and graduates began joining the International Council of Nurses (ICN).
1930s: Nursing education raised standards; public health nursing specialization adopted.
1933 Admission requirements increased: secondary collegiate education required; 1938 first UP School of Public Health Nursing graduates.

May 31, 1939: Department of Health and Public Welfare established by Commonwealth Act 430; Dr. Jose Fabella as first Secretary.
Quezon era: expanded hospitals, puericulture centers; maternal and child health services; nurse supervisors trained in PHN; expanded sanitary divisions;
addressed leprosy, venereal diseases, mental disorders with specialized facilities.

WW II intensified nursing needs; many nurses served in devastated areas or joined guerrilla efforts.
31 nurses captured by the Japanese at Bilibid Prison and later released to the Bureau of Health.

1947: Executive Order No. 94 separated DOH from Public Welfare; DOH oversees city health offices, Bureau of Health, Bureau of Quarantine, and Bureau of Hospitals.

1991 Philippine Nursing Act (RA 7164) amended; expanded practice to management, teaching, decision-making, and leadership.
Faculty qualifications upgraded to Master’s Degree in Nursing or equivalent.
1999: Nursing Certification Council established under the Board of Nursing (Resolution No. 14); introduction of Advanced Practice Nursing (APN).

2002 Philippine Nursing Act (RA 9173) enacted; updates to RA 7164; clarified requirements for nursing faculty, deans, and licensure processes.

First hospitals: Hospital Real (Cebu, 1565); San Lazaro Hospital (1578); Hospital de Naturales; Hospital de la Misericordia.
First nursing regulation and exams: Board Examiners for Nurses; first board exam in 1920.
Professional associations: Filipino Nurses Association (1921); Philippine Journal of Nursing; ICN membership (1929).
Major acts: Medical Law amendments (Act No. 2493); Nursing Law (Act 2808, 1919); RA 7164 (1991); RA 9173 (2002).
Key modernization: UP School of Public Health Nursing (1938) graduates; PHN specialization included in curricula; Nursing Certification Council (1999).