Scholarship for medical students pushed

To help poor but deserving students to take up expensive medical courses, a member of the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP) here has proposed a localized version of the Republic Act 11509, also known as “Doktor Para sa Bayan Act.”

Board Member Elma Pinao-an Lejao said this will address the demand for medical doctors in the province by extending financial help to deserving students in the pursuit of their education and training in health and medicine.

She said the proposed ordinance establishing the “Medical Scholarship and Return

Service Program for Deserving Students” shall also be known as the “Nueva Vizcaya Doktor Para sa Mamamayan Ordinance.”

Lejao noted that during the past six years of being a member of SP and during the deliberation of the local expenditure program, “it has been a perennial manifestation that there are no takers or no one was applying for some physician position in the local government-managed hospitals.”

“Thus, we need to provide scholarships to medical students who will eventually render services in the hospitals managed by the provincial local government unit of Nueva Vizcaya,” Lejao said.

“Hence, the proposed ordinance will help address this problem of our provincial government-managed hospitals. With this ordinance, we can produce medical doctors so that they can fill the vacant medical positions in our hospitals.”

Lejao also noted that the proposed Nueva Vizcaya Doktor Para sa Mamamayan Ordinance will ensure the funding for the establishment of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program for Deserving Students.

Lejao said the ordinance was already passed on first reading during the 18th regular session of the Provincial Board.