DAVAO CITY The Department of Health is set to conduct a surveillance of all establishments in the Davao Region that are offering stem cell treatments without the proper authorization.

At present there are no facilities in the Region that have been authorized by DOH to perform stem cell treatments, DOH 11 Licensing Officer Alex F. Daba said.

He said so far two clinics located in the city have applied for authorization.

The move is in accordance with Administrative Order 2013-0012 providing the Rules and Regulations Governing the Accreditation of Health Facilities Engaging in Human Stem Cell and Cell-Based or Cellular Therapies in the Philippines which was released by Health Secretary Enrique T. Ona on March 18, 2013.

As with any new technology there is a need to regulate stem cell treatment in order to protect the public from unscrupulous people who might not be properly trained and authorized to conduct the procedure, he said.

Daba said they have received reports that even here in the region, there are facilities including hospitals and clinics conducting the stem cell therapy.

However, he added, they still have to verify those reports through the conduct of the surveillance.

As of now all we can do is to comply with the surveillance and then create a master list of these facilities. They are set to meet with the different hospitals and clinics in Davao next week to inform these facilities about the new guidelines so that they will discontinue providing the said treatments, he said.

With the issuance of Onas order, he said, all unauthorized facilities providing stem cell treatment are advised to stop.

The primary goal of the AO is to prevent the introduction, transmission and spread of communicable disease by ensuring a minimum quality of service rendered by hospitals and other health facilities in human stem cell therapies, he said.

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DOH 11 conducts surveillance on stem cell facilities in Davao Region