The Bohol Medical Society (BMS) has issued a public warning about the proliferation of clinics operated by unlicensed individuals providing medical services, calling such practices illegal and potentially dangerous to public health.
The organization brought out the issue about unregulated aesthetic clinics, chiropractors, bone setters and mental health facilities that diagnose conditions, prescribe medications and perform treatment procedures without proper medical licensing.
“Acts constituting practice of medicine” under Philippine law requires practitioners to “diagnose, treat, operate or prescribe any remedy for any human disease, injury, deformity, physical, mental or physical condition,” according to the statement, which quoted extensively from the Philippine Medical Act.
The law specifies that such activities, whether performed for compensation or advertised through any medium, constitute medical practice requiring a valid physician license from the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).
“Health as a basic human right must always be upheld, the illegal practice of medicine must be curbed to protect the general public,” the Bohol Medical Society noted.
“As in any unregulated practice, there is no responsibility for mistakes or complications – leading to poor quality of life.”
The medical society’s statement follows social media controversy involving a practitioner performing bone alignment procedures.
A licensed physical therapist questioned the treatments, stressing that proper medical care requires “proper assessment, clinical reasoning, evidence-based practice, including the protection of a patient’s health.”
The unlicensed practitioner responded by challenging whether the physical therapist actively practices and suggested the public should decide “who between him and the physical therapist has provided cure to patients in need.”
The exchange sparked online debate, with some social media users defending traditional “hilot” healing practices while others questioned why such services are only now facing scrutiny from licensed medical professionals.
The Philippine Medical Act criminalizes the unauthorized practice of medicine, though enforcement has historically been inconsistent, particularly regarding traditional healing methods that have existed for generations.
The BMS urged the public to “always ask for a valid physician PRC license prior to subjecting yourself to any form of treatment.”