The Quezon City government made headlines last year for launching the Right to Care card, which allows LGBTQIA+ couples to make medical decisions for each other through a special power of attorney. Just this February, the first batch of couples who registered back in August 2023 received their Right to Care cards during the city’s fourth annual commitment ceremony.

In a Facebook post, the Right to Care Card page announced new orientation dates for interested couples who want to know more about the program and its features. By scanning a QR code that leads to an online form, prospective candidates can pre-register and choose an orientation date that falls every Saturday, 8 a.m. beginning May 11 until June 29 (except June 22).

Interested applicants must note that there are requirements to avail of the card, primarily that at least one member of the couple must be a resident of Quezon City. Other prerequisites are that they must be at least 18 years old and a QCitizen Card holder. 

What is the Right to Care card?

The Right to Care card was the brainchild of advertising creative Adrian Guzman. LGBTQIA+ individuals in same-sex relationships often find it difficult to navigate healthcare because more often than not only immediate family members are allowed privileges and rights such as paying visits or making medical decisions for patients. 

An additional hurdle is that the Family Code only recognizes family relations between husband and wife, and marriage as a union between a man and a woman, making it nearly impossible for same-sex couples to look after each other in medical settings, especially in the absence of a national bill advocating for LGBQTIA+ rights.

The Right to Care card ensures that LGBTQIA+ couples are granted the same privileges as heterosexual couples at public and private hospitals through a special power of attorney. These 

privileges include: 

• Right to provide care during hospitalization 
• Right to sign any waiver or document 
• Right to choose a doctor or healthcare provider, including admitting or discharging their partner from a hospital, nursing home, or residential care facility 
• Right to receive and disclose their partner’s personal information 
• Right to allow or deny medical treatments or procedures

The Right to Card card is initially honored at Quezon City hospitals Quezon City General Hospital, Novaliches District Hospital, and Rosario Maclang Bautista General Hospital with plans to expand to more health institutions in the city—public and private.

The special power of attorney should also be honored by other hospitals outside of Quezon City, added Quezon City lawyer and head of Public Assistance and Legal Affairs Office Orlando Paolo Casimiro citing national law and related administrative orders from the Department of Health.

How to register for the card

After filling out the pre-registration form and receiving a confirmation, applicants must go to the Quezon City Gender and Development Office, 6th Floor, Conference Room, High Rise Building, Quezon City Hall on the date of their orientation. 

Couples must accomplish forms that include the special power of attorney contract that needs to be notarized. After the submission of said contract, the Quezon City Legal Department will validate your information. Then all you have to do is wait for your Right to Care card to arrive.

The first batch of registrants back in August received their cards in February. But don’t fret because you can also use your copy of the special power of attorney contract to show to hospitals while you wait for your Right to Care card.