Ni NOEL ABUEL
Umapela si Senador Chiz Escudero sa mga kapwa nito mambabatas na ipasa na ang iba’t ibang panukalang batas na lilikha ng mas maraming pampublikong medical schools sa bansa.
Ayon kay Escudero, chairman ng Senate Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education, sa panahon ngayon ay mas maraming doktor ang kailangan ng bansa kahit may pandemya o wala.
“If there is one painful lesson that the pandemic has taught us, it is the fact that even if we produce them in industrial scale, we cannot have enough doctors. Because even before COVID-19 struck, the Secretary of Health said we were already 114,000 short of doctors, in what could be described as our society’s pre-existing comorbidity,” sabi ng senador.
Sa pagsasanay ng mas maraming manggagamot, ipinunto ni Escudero na hindi lamang ang kasalukuyang kakulangan ang dapat solusyunan kundi pati na rin ang mga hinaharap na pagdami ng populasyon.
“Even if our population increase will decelerate and stabilize at 1.5 million a year, this would still have to be matched with new entrants to the medical profession,” giit pa ni Escudero.
Tinukoy ng Bicolano senator ang limang state universities na pagtatayuan ng eskuwelahan ng college of medicine kabilang ang;Benguet State University sa Cordilleras.
Ang Southern Luzon State University sa Quezon Province; University of Eastern Philippines sa Northern Samar; Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University sa La Union, at ang Visayas State University sa Southern Leyte.
“These schools are centers of excellence, consistently turn in excellent board examinations scores, and are research and innovation hubs,” ani Escudero.
“Not only are they academically prepared and will soon be facility-ready, they have in their communities public and private hospitals, which could both provide training to students and faculty to the college of medicine,” dagdag nito.
Sinabi ni Escudero na ang karagdagang mga medical schools ay magpapalakas sa Republic Act 11509 o ang “Doktor Para Sa Bayan Act,” na ipinasa noong Disyembre 2020.
Layunin ng batas na magtatag ng isang medical scholarship at return service program para sa mga karapat-dapat na mag-aaral na gustong magtapos ng degree sa Doctor of Medicine sa mga state universities and colleges.
“At present, the program is offered in 16 private schools and 16 state universities with funded slots for 3,600 scholars this year. The five bills I am introducing through this omnibus sponsorship speech will bring it to 21,” aniya pa.
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