Benguet medical school sought

December 7, 2021 Provincial

Benguet lawmaker Eric Yap filed House Bill No. 10559 seeking government to establish a College of Medicine in the staterun Benguet State University in La Trinidad, Benguet, to be known as the Benguet State University College of Medicine.
“Many of our kailyan (town folks) in the province aspire to be doctors, to be of help in their communities. As they have experienced firsthand the difficulties of not having a doctor within the reach of their own barangays, they want to be part of the solution.
But aside from the high cost of medical education itself, the accessibility of a Medical School remains to be an obstacle for some who wish to pursue Medicine,” Yap explained.
“At present, there are only two medical schools in the Cordillera. To address the lack of medical education institutions in the region, we have proposed HBN 10559 establishing the Benguet State University College of Medicine.
This shall provide an opportunity for our kailyan to acquire quality medical education and training with the close proximity of this learning institution from their hometown, reducing the extra costs on transportation to and from and accommodation within the school,” the lawmaker said.
Yap pointed out that “with the changing healthcare settings and the increasing need for doctors, we look forward to the passage of this measure into law.” He added, “This shall also be in congruent with the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act (RA 11509), which we have also authored.”
RA 11509 provides for the establishment of Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program (MSRS) for deserving students in SUCs offering a medical course.
“With the implementation of the MSRS program and the establishment of the College of Medicine in BSU, Benguet shall produce its own modern version of rural doctors.
In the long run, we also hope that this shall address the doctor shortage in the country, especially in remote areas,” Yap said.
Artemio A. Dumlao/ABN