LA TRINIDAD, Benguet – President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. signed into law Republic Act (RA) 11970 which mandates the creation of a College of Medicine at the State-run Benguet State University (BSU) for the education needs of indigent students wanting to become future health care professionals.
The establishment of the College of Medicine was an offshoot of House Bill (HB) 312 authored by Rep. Eric Yap of the Lone District of Benguet to make sure that the medicine course will be accessible to deserving students from the remote communities not only of the Cordillera but also the Ilocos and Cagayan Valley regions.
Further, the law aims to address the significant gap in medical education within the region with the College of Medicine that is envisioned to provide residents of Benguet and neighboring provinces the opportunity to pursue quality medical education and training without the need to relocate to distant cities in the country.
Yap claimed that although BSU, renowned for its academic excellence and is currently designated as a state university and college (SUC) Level 4 institution by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), has not housed a medical school to date.
He pointed out that the absence of accessible medical education institutions in the region has been a long standing challenge for students interested in enrolling in the medical course and become future health care professionals.
Based on a report of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges in June 2021, only two out of 58 medical colleges are situated in the Cordillera and the scarcity of medical schools in the region has led to a considerable financial burden among aspiring doctors forcing them and their families to bear the cost of transportation and accommodation to be able to pursue their medical education.
Rep. Yap stipulated that the establishment of the BSU College of Medicine is expected to alleviate these challenges, adding that residents and students from neighboring provinces will have greater opportunity to pursue medical education within the proximity of their homes, reducing the overall cost associated with obtaining a medical degree.
Yap’s bill was anchored on the Doctor Para Sa Bayan Act that established a medical scholarship and return service program for deserving students in state universities and colleges purposely to address shortage of doctors in the country which according to World Bank data, there are only 1 physician for every 1,000 Filipinos.
The Benguet lawmaker said that the passage of this legislation would not be prudent if providing more accessible institutions, especially to far flung rural areas such as Benguet and its neighboring provinces in the Cordillera, is not actually met by existing institutions.
Initially, the BSU College of Medicine is expected to accept some 60 medical students who will be coming from Benguet and the different parts of the Cordillera once the course will be opened by August this year following the completion of the documentary requirements allowing the opening of the course in the said state university. By Dexter A. See