EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
SENATE
S. B. NO. 1283
Senate
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20 
JAN 21 
A8 53
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Introduced by SENATOR JOEL VILLANUEVA
AN ACT PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS TO QUALIFIED STUDENTS 
TAKING MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Article XIII, Section 12 of the 1987 Constitution provides that: “The State shall 
establish and maintain an effective food and drug regulatory system and undertake 
appropriate health manpower development and research, responsive to the country’s 
health needs and problems.”
If the Philippines hopes to adopt the Cuban health system, the first thing it 
needs to address in the doctor shortage. The ratio of doctors to patients in the 
country has always been a challenge for the public health sector. The Philippine 
Medical Association data show that there are 130,000 licensed doctors in the country 
but only about 70,000 of them are actively practicing the profession. The present 
doctor-population ratio here in the Philippines is 1:33,000, a far outcry from the 
1:1,000 in Cuba, majority of whom are primary care physicians1.
Various reasons have been cited as a factor to the shortage of doctors 
serving the country. One is the lack of Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) offering 
Medicine programs. There are only thirty medical schools in the country, of which, 
only five are public and government-funded2. Another reason is the prohibitive cost 
of becoming a doctor. Medical studies in the country are too costly that is has 
become beyond the reach of Filipino families even those belonging to the higher 
middle-income class. To make this problem even worse is the fact that doctors are 
leaving the country for more lucrative jobs overseas.
This bill seeks to address the shortage of doctors by establishing a medical 
scholarship program. It shall provide the institutional mechanism for the envisioned
1 https://today.m ims.com /doctor-shortage-in-the-philippines-an-analysis
ibid


sustained human resource development of the Philippine public health care system. 
The scholarship program shall provide financial and other educational resource 
support mechanisms for the pursuit of studies in the filed of medicine by deserving 
and qualified people.
This bill also mandates the scholars to be integrated in the public health 
system through a mandatory return service program, as they will be required to 
provide quality basic, promotive, preventive and curative health care services in 
government public health offices especially the underserved, remote, economically 
underdeveloped, distressed, conflict-afflicted and geographically disadvantaged 
areas.
In view of the urgent need to create a steadily expanding pool of medical 
doctors in order to fulfill the gaps in the current public health system and enable the 
government to deliver timely, adequate, competent medical and health care services, 
the passage of this measure is immediately sought.
SENATOR J Q tL  VILLANUEVA


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EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS OF THE 
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES
First Regular Session
)
SENATE
S. B. NO. 1283
deuatE
of lf)f frrcrrtarf
20 
JAN 21 
A 8 S3
RECE:\'T*tf!
Introduced by SENATOR JOEL VILLANUEVA
AN ACT PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS TO QUALIFIED STUDENTS 
TAKING MEDICAL EDUCATION PROGRAMS, APPROPRIATING 
FUNDS THEREFOR AND FOR OTHER PURPOSES
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Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the Philippines in 
Congress assembled:
SECTION 1. Short Title. -  This Act shall be known as the "Medical 
Scholarship Act.”
SEC. 2. Declaration of Policy. -  It is the policy of the State to protect and 
promote the right to health of the people and instill health consciousness 
among them. Towards this end, the State shall institute and support policies 
and programs that are geared towards increasing the number of health 
professionals who will provide the needed health services in the country, such 
as a medical scholarship program that will encourage aspiring medical 
students to pursue education and training in the fields of health and medicine.
In return, these physicians shall provide quality basic, promotive, preventive 
and curative health care services in government public health offices 
especially in under-served, remote, economically underdeveloped, distressed, 
conflict-afflicted and/or geographically disadvantaged areas.
SEC. 3. Establishment of the Medical Scholarship Program. -  There shall 
be established a Medical Scholarship Program for deserving students in State 
Universities and Colleges (SUCs) and in Private Higher Education Institutions 
(PHEIs) in regions where there are no SUCs offering medicine: Provided, 
That the applicant has passed the admission and other qualifying 
requirements of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and SUCs and 
PHEIs concerned.


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The scholarship shall include, but not be limited, to the following:
a) 
Free tuition and other schools fees;
b) 
Allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment;
c) 
Clothing or uniform allowance;
d) 
Allowance for dormitory or boarding house accommodation;
e) 
Transportation allowance;
f) 
Internship fees, including financial assistance during the required 
internship period;
g) 
Medical board review fees and licensure fees; Provided, that the support 
shall only be limited to the first licensure examination of the scholar 
concerned taken within one (1) year after graduation or completion of 
post-graduate 
internship 
and 
other 
academic 
requirements, 
as 
appropriate; and
h) 
Other education-related miscellaneous subsistence or living allowance.
SEC. 4. Qualifications of Scholars. -  An applicant for the Medical
Scholarship Program shall possess the following qualifications:
a) 
Must be a natural-born or naturalized Filipino citizen residing in the 
Philippines;
b) 
Must be a graduating student or a graduate of an appropriate 
undergraduate program identified as a prerequisite for a Doctor of 
Medicine degree, from any Higher Education Institution (HEI) duly 
recognized by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED), including 
the direct entrant to the seven-year Integrated Liberal Arts Medicine 
(INTARMED) Program of the University of the Philippines who 
satisfactorily completes the first two (2) years of the program;
c) 
Must have passed the entrance examinations and other related 
requirements for admission for a Doctor of Medicine degree in the SUC 
or PHEI where the scholar intends to enroll in; and
d) 
Must have obtained the National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) score 
mandated by CHED and the cut-off score required by the SUC or PHEI 
where the student intends to enroll in.
SEC. 5. Conditions for the Grant of Scholarship. -  Deserving students
accepted to the Medical Scholarship Program shall be subject to the following
conditions;


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a) 
Must sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the 
scholarship on a form prescribed by CHED and DOH;
b) 
Must carry the full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC 
or the PHEI concerned, and shall under no circumstance, drop a course 
which will result in underloading;
c) 
Must finish the entire Doctor of Medicine program within the prescribed 
time frame of the SUC or PHEI where the scholar is enrolled in, subject 
to the retention policies of the SUC or the PHEI;
d) 
Must undertake the required medical internship in a DOH-accredited 
public health facility or hospital upon graduation from a four-year Doctor 
of Medicine program, subject to the Association of Philippine Medical 
Colleges (APMC) Intern Matching Program: Provided, That for a five- 
year Doctor of Medicine program, the scholar enrolled in the SUC or 
PHEI must undertake the internship in the base or partner-hospital of the 
SUC or PHEI concerned;
e) 
Must take the board examination within a maximum period of one (1) 
year after completion of an internship program as required in Section 
4(d) above; and
f) 
Must agree to serve in a government public health office or government 
hospital in the scholar’s hometown or, in the absence of threat for his/her 
safety, in any underserved municipality determined by DOH as a priority 
area, for at least eight (8) years or two (2) years for every year that the 
scholarship has been availed of; Provided, That such return service shall 
be completed within ten (10) years for those who have availed of a four- 
year program, and twelve (12) years for those who have availed of a 
five-year program, 
upon passing the licensure examination for 
physicians: Provided further. That the mandatory return service shall be 
in addition to the required internship under Section 4(d) above; Provided 
further, That residency training shall not be considered as a return 
service under this provision; Provided finally, That the physician shall 
receive appropriate salaries and other benefits for services rendered 
during the period of his return service as required under this Act.
Notwithstanding anything to the contrary, the scholar may be allowed, for valid 
and justifiable reasons, to defer availing of the scholarship and file a leave of 
absence for a period not exceeding one (1) school year, subject to the 
guidelines and policies of the SUC or PHEI concerned.
SEC. 6. Failure to Comply with the Conditions and Termination of 
Scholarship. -  Failure of the scholar to comply with any of the conditions for 
the grant of scholarship as provided under this Act shall automatically 
disqualify the scholar from further enjoying the benefits of the scholarship 
program. The non-compliant scholar shall also repay the full cost of 
scholarship and related benefits he/she received, including all the expenses 
incurred during his/her participation in the scholarship program.


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In addition, the scholarship being received by the scholar shall also be 
terminated in case of the following:
a) 
If the scholar accepts another scholarship from other government or 
private agencies or entities while enjoying the benefits under this Act;
b) 
If the scholar fails in forty percent (40%) of the subjects he/she is 
enrolled in or fails to meet the academic requirements of the SUC or the 
PHEI or to complete the course within the prescribed period without valid 
cause as may be determined by the SUC or PHEI, CHED or DOH; 
Provided, That instead of repaying in cash the full cost of the scholarship 
and related expenses, the terminated scholar may opt to repay the same 
in kind by working in the public health sector, such as engaging in 
health-related research or teaching health-related subjects in public 
education institutions, or becoming 
integrated into the public health 
service system for a period equivalent to the number of years of 
mandatory return service as provided under this Act; Provided further, 
That the alternative return service shall exclude the period of internship 
and residency training;
c) 
While being a scholar, the scholar commits gross misconduct in a 
manner that would bring significant damage to the SUC or PHEI or 
government institution where the scholar is affiliated with, or the 
community as a whole.
SEC. 7. Mandatory Return Service and Integration into the Public Health 
and Medical Service System; Penalty for Non-Compliance. -  Upon 
passing the Physician Licensure Examination (PLE) administered by the 
Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC), the scholar shall be integrated into 
the public health and medical service system with the appropriate rank and 
salary and related benefits, for at least eight (8) years or two (2) years for 
every scholarship year availed of: Provided, That such return service shall be 
completed within the period prescribed under Section 4(f) under this Act; 
Provided further, That such mandatory return service and integration into the 
public health and medical service system under this Act shall be separate and 
distinct from the return service requirement of the SUC or PHEI and the 
mandatory post-graduate internship in a DOH-accredited public health facility, 
required by PRC as a prerequisite for taking the PLE; Provided finally, That an 
additional year of return service shall be imposed for every succeeding PLE 
that the scholar takes.
In the event that a physician-scholar fails or refuses to serve the return 
service required under this Act, he/she shall be required to pay the full cost of 
the scholarship, including other benefits and related expenses incurred by the 
government for his/her schooling.
In case of non-payment, the PRC shall deny the renewal of the physician’s 
license; Provided, That the sanction shall not apply to physicians who fail to 
comply with the required return service on account of, or by reason of, severe 
or serious illness.


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SEC. 8. Funding. -  The amount necessary to carry out the initial 
implementation of this Act shall be charged against the current year's 
appropriation of the participating SUC and/or DOH. Thereafter, the amount 
necessary for the continuous implementation of the medical scholarship 
provided under this Act shall be included in the annual budget of CHED in the 
General Appropriations Act.
SEC. 9. Five-Year Review of the Number of Scholars to be Admitted -
Every five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act, CHED and DOH, in 
consultation with participating SUCs and PHEIs, shall determine the number 
of scholars to be admitted every school year; Provided, that in all cases, the 
number of physicians needed by DOH to effectively serve all Filipino citizens 
shall be taken into consideration in determining the number of scholars in a 
given school year.
SEC. 10. Implementing Rules and Regulations. -  Within one hundred 
eighty days (180) days from the effectivity of this Act, the Secretary of Health 
and the Chairman of CHED, in consultation with various SUCs and PHEIs and 
other relevant stakeholders, shall jointly promulgate the rules and regulations 
necessary for the effective implementation of this Act.
SEC. 11. Separability Clause. -  If any part or provision of this Act shall be 
held invalid or unconstitutional, the other parts or provisions hereof that are 
not affected shall remain in full force and effect.
SEC. 12. Repealing Clause. -  All laws, decrees, or rules inconsistent with 
this Act are hereby repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 13. Effectivity Clause. -  This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after 
its publication in the Official Gazette or in at least two (2) newspapers of 
general circulation.
Approved,