THE Commission on Higher Education has approved two more medical programs for state universities and colleges in La Union and Bulacan.
CHED chief Prospero De Vera said the agency has approved the application for government authority to operate the Doctor of Medicine program of Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) in La Union and Bulacan State University (BulSu) effective this academic year.
DMMMSU is the 21st medical school approved by CHED and the 3rd SUC to offer medicine in the region.
To date, there are three other higher education institutions offering the Doctor of Medicine program in Region I.
BulSu is the first state university to offer medical education in Central Luzon and the 22nd SUC which was approved to offer a Doctor of Medicine program in the Philippines.
“Now we can produce more doctors through our top SUCs, who will go to underserved areas specifically in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas or in municipalities without government physicians in need of health personnel,” De Vera said.
De Vera said only two more regions — Cordillera Administrative Region and CARAGA — do not have an SUC offering a medicine degree.
He said the agency is working with SUCs in the two regions to eventually offer the same program.
“We are close to fully implementing the mandate of the Doktor Para sa Bayan law which seeks to develop a public medical school in all regions of the country,” De Vera added.
The latest medical program, according to De Vera, will help increase the number of doctors who will serve in far-flung areas by establishing a medical scholarship and return service program for poor students.
CHED data showed that 2,689 students currently enjoy scholarships in public and private medical schools in the country under Republic Act 11509 or the Doktor Para sa Bayan Law.
In May last year, Department of Health OIC and Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the country needs around 114, 000 doctors and 127, 000 nurses to be able to provide optimal health care.
Vergeire said it would take around 12 years to fill the gap in nurses and 23 years for physicians.
