Short answer. Under Section 31 of RA 9262, a healthcare provider who suspects abuse or is told of it must document your injuries, record your account and the circumstances, give you a medical certificate free of charge, safeguard the records and release them to you at cost, and notify you of your rights and available services.
What the law says
properly document any of the victim's physical, emotional or psychological injuries; (b) properly record any of victim's suspicions, observations and circumstances of the examination or visit; (c) automatically provide the victim free of charge a medical certificate concerning the examination or visit
RA 9262, Section 31 — Healthcare Provider Response. Read the full provision →
Who owes the duty and when
Section 31 of Republic Act 9262 places affirmative duties on the medical people a victim of abuse is most likely to meet. It applies to Any healthcare provider, including, but not limited to, an attending physician, nurse, clinician, barangay health worker, therapist or counselor. The duty is triggered in two situations: when the provider suspects abuse or has been informed by the victim of violence. So a nurse who merely suspects, even if the patient has not said the word "abuse," is already bound, and so is a counselor who has been told outright. The provider does not get to wait for proof before acting on these obligations.
Documenting the injuries and the story
The first two duties are about creating a reliable record. The provider must properly document any of the victim's physical, emotional or psychological injuries, which recognizes that abuse is not only bruises but also fear, anxiety, and mental harm. Alongside that, the provider must properly record any of victim's suspicions, observations and circumstances of the examination or visit. Together these build the evidentiary trail a victim may later need in a protection-order application or a criminal case. Because memories fade and injuries heal, a careful record made at the time by a medical professional can be far more persuasive than testimony given months afterward.
The free certificate and your records
The next duties put documents in the victim's hands at little or no cost. The provider must automatically provide the victim free of charge a medical certificate concerning the examination or visit, so cost is never a barrier to getting proof. The word "automatically" means the victim should not have to ask for it. The provider must also safeguard the records and make them available to the victim upon request at actual cost. The records are protected from loss or tampering, and while copies may carry only the real cost of reproduction, the victim keeps the right to obtain them when needed for a case or a claim.
Telling you your rights
The final duty is about information. The provider must provide the victim immediate and adequate notice of rights and remedies provided under this Act, and services available to them. This turns a medical visit into a doorway to help: the victim learns, then and there, about protection orders, the possibility of a criminal complaint, and support services such as shelters and counseling. What the section does not do is force the victim to file a case; it equips her to decide for herself. A provider who ignores these duties fails a legal obligation, not merely a courtesy.