Sen. Angara filed Senate Bill 1850, or the Healthcare Facility Augmentation Act, that would require state universities and colleges (SUCs) to build their own hospitals to help address the shortage of healthcare facilities and medical professionals.
Citing a University of the Philippines study, Angara said there are only 6.1 beds for every 10,000 Filipinos, while the country only has an average of 3.7 doctors for every 10,000 members of the population.
“We need to strengthen our healthcare system and two of the initial steps that we can take is to produce more doctors and nurses and to increase the number of hospitals that will serve our people,” said the senator in a statement.
There are currently nine SUCs offering medical degrees: the University of Northern Philippines, Mariano Marcos State University, University of the Philippines-Leyte, Cagayan State University, Mindanao State University-General Santos, Bicol University, West Visayas State University, Mindanao State University-Marawi, and University of the Philippines-Manila.
Meanwhile, 45 SUCs are currently offering a degree in nursing.
“Apart from increasing our hospital bed capacity, the construction of these SUC hospitals will also serve as the training ground for the medical students of the SUCs just like what UP-PGH has long been doing,” Angara said. “Hindi na sila kailangan pa lumayo sa sarili nilang bakod para makakuha ng experience na kailangan para maging doktor at nars [They don’t need to go far to have the experience required to become a doctor or nurse].”
Angara said the SUC hospital will have a capacity of no less than 50 beds.
The proposed measure also provides that graduates of medical degrees from state universities and colleges who availed of government scholarship programs shall be required to render their return service in the school’s hospital.
Recently, Congress has ratified a bill granting scholarship for aspiring doctors coming from low-income families.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, November 2) — To help improve healthcare services in the country, a senator has filed a bill seeking to establish a hospital in every state-funded school offering a medical degree.
