LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – Rep. Eric Yap assured to source out additional funds and resources that will ensure the sustainable operation of the College of Medicine of the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) which is expected to formally open next school year.
The lawmaker said that the P45 million that was included in the recently approved P5.76 trillion national budget at the House of Representatives is not sufficient to provide the operational requirements of the new college that is why he will try to work with concerned government agencies to provide additional support to guarantee the sustainable operation of the same.
Earlier, Congressman Yap envisioned the establishment and operation of a College of Medicine at the State-owned higher education institution in the province to make the medical course accessible to students from the various municipalities wanting to take up the course and help in beefing up the country’s health care system.
He expressed hope that the proposed operation of the College of Medicine at BSU will be realized next school year so that students who are planning to take up the medical course can finalize their plans to become the pioneers of the course at this institution.
He recognized the importance of the College of Medicine that will be offered in BSU because poor but deserving students will have access to the medical course to pursue their dreams and aspirations of becoming physicians and help in the effective and efficient delivery of quality health care services.
Yap is one of the prime movers of the program to ensure that there should be one doctor in every barangay so that the health care needs of people can be given immediate attention that will contribute in reducing mortality among the populace.
Medical students who will enroll in the College of Medicine in BSU will be guaranteed to undergo the required trainings at the Benguet General Hospital (BeGH) which will serve as their home-based hospital before being deployed to other specialty hospitals in the other parts of the country.
Yap vowed to continue extending assistance to ensure the full operation of the College of Medicine in BSU so that the long time desire of future medical students will be realized during his term as the province’s representative to the House of Representatives considering that health care is one of his major flagship projects to help in sustaining the productivity of the people.
The Benguet solon earlier filed a bill that seeks to establish the College of Medicine in BSU to provide opportunities for aspiring doctors from the province and neighboring provinces in the Cordillera, Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions to avail of quality medical education in a reduced cost.
The World Bank outlined that there should at least be one physician for every 1,000 Filipinos and in line with this, it resulted in the passage of the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, which established a medical scholarship and return service program for deserving students in state universities and colleges, in order to remedy the shortage of doctors in the country.
“However, the passage of the said legislation would not be prudent if providing more accessible institutions especially in far-flung rural areas such as Benguet and its neighboring provinces in the Cordillera Administrative Region is not met,” Yap said.
Yap also said that last year, the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges noted that only two out of 58 medical colleges are found in the CAR.
“Hence, the lack of medical institutions in the region results in high cost of medical education, consisting of transportation and accommodation allowance, for aspiring doctors, including my constituents,” said Yap.
