Go supports Recto's medical scholarship bill
Published May 14, 2020 12:00 am
By Mario Casayuran
Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go, chairman of the Senate health and demography committee, has expressed his support to a bill seeking to establish a Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program for deserving Filipino students who want to serve the country in the field of medicine.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (Henzberg Austria/ Senate PRIB)
In a speech during the Senate regular session yesterday, Go recounted his experience as the personal aide of President Duterte during his time as mayor of Davao City where he witnessed the need for a holistic approach when it comes to health care.
“We visited the sick, we helped the poor and Mayor Duterte did his best to address the healthcare situation in Davao City, which is why you can see how progressive and responsive our health care is in the south,” Go said.
“My duty came with many realizations. One of which is that addressing health care must be taken through a holistic approach,” he added.
In a sponsorship speech of Senate Bill 1520, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto said that for those seeking a medical scholarship, an applicant must belong to the upper 30 percent of a graduating class of any pre-Med course and has been accepted to medical school.
Thus, it is not an unconditional entitlement. The quota is linked to merit. To remain in the program, academic standards have to be met, he explained.
The scholarship would cover tuition, laboratory, miscellaneous fees, and all school fees; textbooks, supplies and equipment; clothing and uniform allowances; traveling, subsistence and living expenses, Recto explained.
Go said that the proposed measure would complement the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program of the government by ensuring that there will be more doctors in the provinces.
“This vision is also in line with the Balik Probinsya Program that I have proposed and was already approved by the Executive department,” Go said.
“Once we have more doctors in the provinces, we can assure Filipinos that a better life is waiting for them in the rural community,” he added.
Go cited the adequate supply of healthcare workers in the country, such as doctors and nurses, as one of the ways to promote a holistic approach to resolving the country’s healthcare woes.
“Isa sa mga dapat sikapin nating itaguyod ay ang pagpapadami ng ating healthcare workers sa bansa (One of the things that we should do is to have more healthcare workers in the country),” he said, also noting that the country’s doctor-to-patient ratio remains severely strained.
The senator from Davao admitted that the country lacks doctors, especially in the provinces, adding that ‘’our doctor-to-patient ratio is insufficient to the health needs in the country.’’
Go said that the ongoing global pandemic has resulted in the deaths of some of the country’s healthcare professionals.
“Through the Medical Scholarship bill, the student will be assisted financially covering their tuition and other school fees; allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment; clothing or uniform allowance, among others. This scholarship will cater deserving Filipino students in state universities and colleges and in partner private higher education institutions in regions where there are no state universities or colleges offering the medicine course,” he added.
Go explained that the scholarship would require a return service equivalent to the number of years the students have been also assisted by the medical scholarship program.
“This will pave the way for us to substantially support the number of our doctors in the country and, particularly, increase the number of doctors in the provinces or regions they belong, or as identified by the Department of Health,” he said.
Ending his message, Go asked the government to continue helping Filipinos who want to serve the country as doctors by allowing them to benefit from the bill.
Emphasizing that the passage of the bill would significantly improve the healthcare system in the country, Go urged his fellow senators to support the measure.
“Better health care requires a strong backbone of doctors and health professionals. If we do this, we can establish a better healthcare system and ultimately a better Philippines,” he pointed out.
Sen. Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go (Henzberg Austria/ Senate PRIB)
In a speech during the Senate regular session yesterday, Go recounted his experience as the personal aide of President Duterte during his time as mayor of Davao City where he witnessed the need for a holistic approach when it comes to health care.
“We visited the sick, we helped the poor and Mayor Duterte did his best to address the healthcare situation in Davao City, which is why you can see how progressive and responsive our health care is in the south,” Go said.
“My duty came with many realizations. One of which is that addressing health care must be taken through a holistic approach,” he added.
In a sponsorship speech of Senate Bill 1520, Senate President Pro Tempore Ralph G. Recto said that for those seeking a medical scholarship, an applicant must belong to the upper 30 percent of a graduating class of any pre-Med course and has been accepted to medical school.
Thus, it is not an unconditional entitlement. The quota is linked to merit. To remain in the program, academic standards have to be met, he explained.
The scholarship would cover tuition, laboratory, miscellaneous fees, and all school fees; textbooks, supplies and equipment; clothing and uniform allowances; traveling, subsistence and living expenses, Recto explained.
Go said that the proposed measure would complement the Balik Probinsya, Bagong Pag-asa (BP2) Program of the government by ensuring that there will be more doctors in the provinces.
“This vision is also in line with the Balik Probinsya Program that I have proposed and was already approved by the Executive department,” Go said.
“Once we have more doctors in the provinces, we can assure Filipinos that a better life is waiting for them in the rural community,” he added.
Go cited the adequate supply of healthcare workers in the country, such as doctors and nurses, as one of the ways to promote a holistic approach to resolving the country’s healthcare woes.
“Isa sa mga dapat sikapin nating itaguyod ay ang pagpapadami ng ating healthcare workers sa bansa (One of the things that we should do is to have more healthcare workers in the country),” he said, also noting that the country’s doctor-to-patient ratio remains severely strained.
The senator from Davao admitted that the country lacks doctors, especially in the provinces, adding that ‘’our doctor-to-patient ratio is insufficient to the health needs in the country.’’
Go said that the ongoing global pandemic has resulted in the deaths of some of the country’s healthcare professionals.
“Through the Medical Scholarship bill, the student will be assisted financially covering their tuition and other school fees; allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment; clothing or uniform allowance, among others. This scholarship will cater deserving Filipino students in state universities and colleges and in partner private higher education institutions in regions where there are no state universities or colleges offering the medicine course,” he added.
Go explained that the scholarship would require a return service equivalent to the number of years the students have been also assisted by the medical scholarship program.
“This will pave the way for us to substantially support the number of our doctors in the country and, particularly, increase the number of doctors in the provinces or regions they belong, or as identified by the Department of Health,” he said.
Ending his message, Go asked the government to continue helping Filipinos who want to serve the country as doctors by allowing them to benefit from the bill.
Emphasizing that the passage of the bill would significantly improve the healthcare system in the country, Go urged his fellow senators to support the measure.
“Better health care requires a strong backbone of doctors and health professionals. If we do this, we can establish a better healthcare system and ultimately a better Philippines,” he pointed out.