Capitol to fund 40 medical students through ‘Study Now, Serve Later’

CEBU, Philippines — At least 40 aspiring doctors from Cebu City will soon receive full medical education support under Cebu Province’s expanded scholarship program with Cebu Normal University (CNU) and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).

The initiative is part of the Cebu Provincial Government’s “Study Now, Serve Later” program, which will shoulder the tuition of qualified students enrolled at the CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine starting this year.

In a press conference held last February 18, Governor Pamela Baricuatro said the province allocated funds for the scholarship through the educational fund and the Office of the Governor, with plans to increase the allocation in the coming years.

Under the agreement, the province will sponsor about 40 medical scholars annually.

The assistance will cover students who are not accommodated under the national Medical Scholarship and Return Service (MSRS) program, also known as the Doktor Para sa Bayan initiative.

VSMMC Chief of Hospital Dr. Gerardo Aquino said the medical school has been offering free medical education since 2021 through national government support, but the number of available scholarship slots has steadily declined.

From more than 50 MSRS slots when the school opened, the allocation dropped to 24 and was further reduced to only nine for this academic year.

To sustain the admission target of 50 students per year, the provincial government will now fund the remaining 41 scholars.

Aquino said the partnership ensures continuity in producing doctors who will eventually serve in government health facilities across Cebu.

“If you could just imagine, in the next few years, we will have many doctors that will be available sa atong district and provincial hospitals,” he said.

Under the provincial scholarship, beneficiaries will be required to render government service after passing the physician licensure examination.

Scholars must serve for a period equivalent to twice the number of years they received financial assistance.

A four-year scholarship, for example, will require eight years of service in provincial or district hospitals.

Baricuatro said the return-of-service component is expected to address the long-standing shortage of doctors in government facilities and ensure continuity of medical services across the province’s 16 hospitals.

She added that priority will be given to applicants from municipalities that most need physicians.

The governor also assured that the selection of scholars will remain merit-based and free from political influence.

She said the provincial government will not take part in screening applicants, leaving the process entirely to the academic institution to preserve its integrity.

CNU President Dr. Laurence Garcia said the province will shoulder tuition costs amounting to about P74,000 for first-year students, P76,530 for second-year students, and at least P78,000 for both third- and fourth-year students.

The full amount for each student will be covered once admitted under the provincial scholarship.

Garcia said the program is intended primarily for Cebuano students who are residents of the province.

Applications for the incoming first-year class are open from February to June, with classes scheduled to begin in July.

Applicants must hold a bachelor’s degree with a science background, although traditional pre-med courses are not strictly required.

Meanwhile, admission requirements include a general weighted average, an NMAT score, an entrance examination, an interview, and an assessment of financial capacity and place of residence.

Dean Dr. Jarungchai Vatanagul said the CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine currently has about 205 students since it opened in August 2021, including 21 post-graduate interns, 32 senior clerks, and students across lower year levels.

Among the seven medical schools in Cebu, the CNU-VSMMC consortium is the only government-run institution offering a Doctor of Medicine degree.

Vatanagul noted that private medical schools in the province charge between P250,000 and P330,000 annually, making the state-funded program a more affordable option for qualified students.

The provincial government’s role, Baricuatro said, will be limited to funding the scholarships, while admissions and academic decisions will remain under the sole authority of the school.

"I have no intention of getting myself involved in choosing the candidates, and I hope the other public servants also will not get involved here, because this is an academic practice and our only involvement here is the scholarship for the future doctors in our institutions,” said the governor. — (FREEMAN)