CHED has announced this month that for the SY 2017-2018, medical students from 8 state universities and colleges (SUCs) will be able to get free tuition. For the longest time, financial status has played a major role in dictating who gets to pursue the medical feild. CHED aims to dispel this notion by leveling the playing field for those with lesser resources. With this program, they hope to hone quality Filipino medical practitioners and aid our country’s healthcare.
CHED Commissioner Prospero de Vera III announced the plan on his Facebook page last June 13. It was there where he stated that the Department of Budget and Management has allocated P315.1-million pesos for the program. This is part of this year’s P8.3-billion budget for SUCs’ free tuition fees.
The program, entitled Cash Grants to Medical Students Enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (CGMS-SUCs), would apply to the students from the following SUCs:
1. University of Northern Philippines
2. Mariano Marcos State University
3. Cagayan State University
4. Bicol University
5. West Visayas State University
6. University of the Philippines Manila School of Health Sciences in Leyte
7. Mindanao State University
8. University of the Philippines-Manila
Each institution will be granted around P39 million to execute the CGMS-SUCs program.
To qualify for the subsidy, applicants must reach the following requirements:
1. Pass the SUC’s admission requirement
2. Enroll in one of SUC’s authorized Doctor of Medicine programs
3. Produce a passing grade for the general weighted average (GWA)
4. Maintain a regular academic load
5. Complete the degree within the period allowed in the university
Give and Take
As part of the program, the grantees must perform a year’s worth of “return service” for the country per year of cash grant received. This would be a part of their public service responsibility. These students can fulfill this by serving in government hospitals, private hospitals of local government health facilities. They can also opt to become doctors to the barrios.
De Vera explained in his post that “this initiative is a response to the continuing lack of doctors… caused by the high cost of medical education, overseas migration, and brain drain.”
Source:
http://www.rappler.com/nation/172945-ched-free-tuition-medical-students-sucs
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10154890711002739&set=pcb.10154890711157739&type=3&theater
