House of Representatives Minority Leader Nonoy Libanan wants the country’s state universities and colleges (SUCs) to launch their own medical schools so that they can produce more doctors that are badly needed to build up the public healthcare system.
“Congress must enable highly advanced SUCs, particularly those in the provinces, to put up their own medical schools where tuition fees are at least partly paid for by the state,” Libanan said.
“Congress must enable highly advanced SUCs, particularly those in the provinces, to put up their own medical schools where tuition fees are at least partly paid for by the state.”
“Very few Filipino families can afford to send their children to private medical schools that are very expensive. This is one of the reasons why we are not producing enough doctors,” the veteran legislator pointed out.
“We must improve access to state-subsidized medical schooling if we want to produce a greater number of Doctor of Medicine graduates in the years ahead,” the seasoned lawmaker added.
He made the statement as he batted for the immediate passage of his bill seeking to establish the Eastern Samar State University (ESSU) College of Medicine.
As proposed by Libanan in House Bill No. 9872, the new college of medicine would be formed in the Borongan City campus of the ESSU, the second-largest SUC in Eastern Visayas by student population.
He previously served as representative of Eastern Samar’s lone congressional district for nine years. He is now 4Ps party-list representative.
Though a lawyer by profession, Libanan also holds a degree in medical technology.
“There are many SUCs that are highly capable of creating and running their own medical schools.”
“There are many SUCs that are highly capable of creating and running their own medical schools but would need the support of Congress by way of amendments to their charters and new appropriations,” he concluded.
