Aid for medical students in SUCs to address lack of docs in PHL —CHED

Medical students in state universities and colleges are being offered financial assistance to address the lack of doctors in several areas in the country, the Commission on Higher Education said on Tuesday.

At a briefing in Malacañang, CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III said medical students who would avail of the government’s financial aid would have to serve a year for every school year in which they receive tuition assistance for their degree.

He added that the students and the parents have to sign a surety agreement once they enter into the government’s tuition assistance program.

If they fail to comply with the terms, they would be required to return the amount they received plus interest.

“Iyong sa medicine, unique ang medicine because we have problems with medical professionals historically in the country. There’s no debate anymore that we lack doctors in many areas in the country especially in far-flung areas,” De Vera said.

“That’s why this intervention or this program of the Duterte administration is a response—is an immediate response to that problem,” he added.

He said that the return service agreement scheme was first introduced by the University of the Philippines Manila, when officials noticed that 90 percent of their graduates from the UP College of Medicine would leave the country—sometimes for good—after passing the medical boards.

“So that is the idea. It is to require them to do public service and we hope that by doing public service, they will be encouraged, they’ll like to do it, and they’ll stay in the country after that. That is the—that is the dream or the plan—that they’ll get to  like what they are doing,” De Vera said.

“What we have to make sure is that their transition from medical school to their residency is very good. So there is no reason for them not to comply with it. Which means, we have to work with local governments, as far as provincial hospitals and district hospitals are concerned; with the Department of Health, for government hospitals; and the local governments and the Department of Health for the Doctor to the Barrios Program,” he added.

CHED has earmarked P317 million for the tuition assistance for medical students in eight state universities and colleges nationwide:

• Mariano Marcos State University in Ilocos Norte
• University of Northern Philippines in Ilocos Sur
• Cagayan State University in Region II
• Bicol University in Region V
• UP College of Medicine in Metro Manila
• West Visayas State University in Iloilo
• Mindanao State University in Iligan and Tawi-Tawi campuses
• UP School of Health Sciences in Leyte

CHED is expecting about 2,000 students currently enrolled in these medical programs to avail of the tuition assistance. —NB, GMA News