The Cebu provincial government has expanded its medical scholarship program to 72 beneficiaries, extending financial assistance to more students whose previous scholarship grants had been discontinued.
Governor Pamela Baricuatro announced the expansion on Monday during the opening of the month-long celebration of Cebu Province’s 457th Founding Anniversary, where the Capitol formally welcomed the medical scholars from the Cebu Normal University-Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (CNU-VSMMC).
The expanded program now covers 42 first-year students, 22 second-year students and eight third-year students.
The additional beneficiaries include continuing medical students who earlier lost scholarship support.
According to Capitol’s Public Health Consultant Dr. Nikki Catalan, the province initially committed to supporting 40 out of the first 50 medical students admitted under the program.
“So the initial commitment was 40 out of 50 nila ka students. And then pag agi ani na mga months, we found out pud nga naa silay eight ka third year and 22 ka second year nga nawad-an og scholarship,” Catalan said.
She said the provincial government later decided to include the affected students after determining that the arrangement would also benefit the province through an earlier return of service.
“In this conversation we found nga mas beneficial pud sa province kay mas dali man sila mabalik pud as return of service nila. So nikuha nalang pud mi nila so from 40 the total commitment is 72 na medical scholars,” she added.
Addressing the scholars, Baricuatro assured them of the provincial government’s continued support as they pursue their medical education.
“I wish you well in your studies. The Cebu Province has your back,” the governor said.
The scholarship program traces its roots to the tripartite agreement signed in February between the Cebu Provincial Government, Cebu Normal University (CNU) and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC).
The agreement was created to provide financial assistance to qualified medical students from Cebu Province who were not covered by the Commission on Higher Education’s Medical Scholarship and Return Service (MSRS) Program.
Under the scholarship, every year of financial assistance corresponds to one year of return service after the scholars obtain their medical degree and physician’s license.
The scholars will eventually serve in the province’s 16 Capitol-run hospitals, helping address the demand for doctors in government health facilities.
Catalan said the provincial government intends to institutionalize the scholarship beginning next year. She added, the scholarship program will be funded this year through the Office of the Governor since no ordinance has yet been enacted for the initiative.
She added that the Capitol is working with Board Member Stanley Caminero, chairman of the Provincial Board’s committee on health, to establish a separate budget line item beginning next year to ensure the program’s continuity.
Each scholar will receive approximately P150,000 worth of assistance annually, including an allowance.
Catalan also described the initiative as the first time the Cebu Provincial Government has directly invested in a medical school scholarship program.
“It’s really planting the seeds, it’s long term atong gitan-aw nga way beyond Gov Pam’s time nga naa jud tay long term nga pipeline nga doctors,” she said.
She noted that the province’s pool of doctors has already increased from 177 to around 382 under the current administration, with the scholarship expected to further strengthen the healthcare workforce in the coming years.
Catalan said scholars who complete their medical education and pass the physician licensure examination will no longer need to apply for positions in provincial hospitals, as they will automatically be given slots under their return service obligation.
“And then while they’re serving with us, they can avail of the practice-based residency programs that we have. That’s about two to three years. So while they’re serving with us, they can potentially also get a residency program out of it,” she said.