Westlake Medical Center violates Anti-Hospital Deposit Law?

REPUBLIC Act 10932, or an "Act Strengthening the Anti-Hospital Deposit Law," provides that "in emergency or serious cases, it shall be unlawful for any hospital or medical clinic to request, solicit, demand or accept any deposit or any other form of advance payment as prerequisite for administering basic emergency care, for confinement or medical treatment, or to refuse to administer medical treatment and support to any patient." It was signed into law on Aug. 3, 2017.

RA10932 was in fact questioned by the Private Hospitals Association of the Philippines, Inc., (PHAPi) — an organization of privately-owned clinics, hospitals, and other health facilities — before the Supreme Court, where it sought to declare as unconstitutional and void the duty imposed upon hospitals, medical practitioners and employees to prevent actual death or injury under Section 1; the penal provisions under Section 4; the presumption of liability clause under Section 5, among other provisions of the law. The Supreme Court dismissed the PHAPi petition on Nov. 6, 2018 (GR 234448).