Medical scholarship bill among priority measures amid COVID-19, says Sotto

The bill seeking to grant scholarships to aspiring doctors in the country is among the priority measures to be tackled in the Senate amid the COVID-19 global pandemic, Senate President Vicente Sotto III said on Tuesday.

"Mas darami ang gustong magdoktor kung ipapasa natin itong Medical Scholarship Act, kapag Filipino na gustong magdoktor dapat libre," Sotto said in a virtual interview with reporters.

"'Yan ang nagpipigil sa kanila ngayon eh, kukuha ng medicine, mahal," he added.

The measure, Senate Bill No. 1, was filed by Sotto in July 2019. The proposed scholarship grant shall cover tuition fees, laboratory and miscellaneous fees, required textbooks, and living allowances among others.

To qualify, applicants should pass the National Medical Admission Test and a medical school’s entrance exam. The scholarship will be granted to those whose family income is not sufficient to support an education in medicine.

As of May 4, more than 1,700 health workers in the country have been infected with COVID-19, according to the Department of Health (DOH).

The DOH said one out of five cases of COVID-19 in the country are health workers.

As of May 4, the Philippines recorded a total of 9,485 cases of COVID-19, with 623 deaths and 1,315 recoveries.

The other priority measures that will be tackled in the Senate are the Corporate Income Tax and Incentives Rationalization Act, Expanded Solo Parents Welfare Act, and the bill on Coco Levy fund, according to Sotto.—AOL, GMA News