Senate augments 2021 budget of SUCs offering doctor of medicine program

The Senate has augmented the 2021 budget of several state universities and colleges (SUCs) offering a doctor of medicine program.

Senator Pia Cayetano said this is in line with the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act which the Congress ratified in October to produce more physicians in the country.

"Our proposed budget included additional budget for the state universities and colleges that have medical schools pursuant to our bill Doktor Para sa Bayan," Cayetano said during the budget debates.

The budgets of the Mariano Marcos State University, University of Northern Philippines, Cagayan State University, Bicol University, West Visayas State University, Mindanao State University, UP College of Medicine, and UP College of Health Sciences will be augmented to increase their carrying capacity to 30% within the next five years, according to Senate Finance committee chairperson Sonny Angara.

Three other SUCs applying to open a medical program—Cebu Normal University; Western Mindanao State University; and University of Southeastern Philippines—will also receive additional funds amounting to a total of around P450 million, Senator Joel Villanueva said.

"There’s an additional P315 million seed fund within CHED for potential SUCs that are yet to apply to offer medical scholarship programs," he added.

The Doktor Para sa Bayan bill aims to provide free medical education for poor but deserving Filipino students by covering their tuition and other school fees, required textbooks, uniform, and living allowances, among others. 

The senators said that to effectively implement this proposed law, the medical  schools in the country must be equipped and strengthened too to be able to admit more students.—AOL, GMA News