Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
NINETEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
House Bill No. ____
Introduced by Rep. BERNADETTE "BH" HERRERA-DY
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR
EXPLANATORY NOTE
Recent data show that there are only about 70, 000 doctors for nearly 100 million
Filipinos. It is even worst in those natural rural areas where there are just about 3 public
doctors for every 100,000 population. For instance, in a third class municipality of
Busuanga, Palawan, there is only one doctor to provide healthcare for its 20,000
population. One doctor should attend to only 1 ,000 patients which is the global standard.
The obstacles faced by health care providers and patients in rural areas are vastly
different from those in urban areas. People living in the rural areas of the country face a
unique combination of factors that create inadequacies in health care not found in urban
areas. Economic factors, cultural and social differences, educational shortcomings, and
the sheer isolation of living in remote rural areas all conspire to impede the people in their
struggle to lead a normal, healthy life.
Medical doctors are more enticed to practice in cities than in rural communities,
causing maldistribution of medical doctors and other allied-medical professionals in the
country. Hospitals in rural areas, especially in Visayas and Mindanao face crises and even
imminent closure because of lack of medical doctors.
Doctors are the drivers of the health care system and if there is a shortage of
doctors, the system can fail. The shortage of doctors is attributed to the migration of
healthcare professionals; the high cost of medical studies that is beyond the reach of most
Filipinos families; the urban migration or transfer of most doctors to urban areas where
technology and money are present; the exodus of doctors to other countries for further
training or experience and for better pay.
The bill then provides a solution to address our medical manpower crisis through a
statesponsored scholarship program for those qualified students to become doctors. The
bill also seeks to achieve the presence of at least one (1 ) doctor per town to be able to
provide dependable healthcare services to all Filipinos especially those living in rural
areas, which will eventually help strengthen the public health care system of the country.
Under this Act, the Department of Health (DOH) shall be mandated to initiate and
implement this program which shall be open to all qualified natural-born citizens who are
July 6, 2022
8:52 am
1392


not mre than 25 years of age and belonging to the top 30% of their graduating class but
financially incapable to pursue their medical studies.
Students who are qualified under this program must strictly fulfill the conditions
provided under this bill with respect to passing the admission examinations in the medical
schools they choose to enroll in and finish the course without unnecessary delay.
The passage of this bill will provide an institutional mechanism for envisioned
sustained human resource development for the public health care system. Providing a
scholarship program for medical students is an opportunity for them to achieve their
dream to become a doctor. Upon passing the medical board examination, the medical
scholar will be required to serve for at least four (4) years in general or regional medical
center and shall accordingly be given the appropriate rank and salary. They shall also be
deployed in their respective hometowns to achieve the objective of this proposal.
The DOH shall ensure that each municipality in the country shall have one medical
scholar for every cycle of the program to provide a continuous deployment of one doctor
in every town. The idea behind this measure is for every municipality to supply one
scholar who shall be supported by the State to become a doctor in exchange of serving in
one's hometown for a limited period. This is a program that aims to tap and nurture home
grown talents in serving the health needs of a community. The town doctor will come
from the community, and tuition repayment will be in the form of community service.
In its basic sense, the One Doctor: One Town is a program that harness a town's
pool of talents by training them to becoming health professionals who shall attend to its
health needs. In the long run, this program is deemed to yield higher returns for the
government as this will benefit more Filipinos through the medical services that the
scholar-doctors can provide after they graduate.
In previous years, government health spending could hardly make any impact to
improve the quality of public health services in the rural areas. Instead of spending to
product or hire more doctors, the DOH invested in medical supplies and equipment which
become useless for lack of doctors to dispense and use them, respectively.
We are collecting about P 142 Billion in sin taxes, which would have been devoted
to mitigate the social and economic inequalities between the rich and the poor insofar as
healthcare is concerned. We must bear in mind that 6 out of 10 Filipinos die without
seeing a doctor.
Hence, the immediate passage of this bill is earnestly sought.
BERNADETTE HERRERA-DY


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City
EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
First Regular Session
House Bill No. __________
Introduced by Rep. BERNADETTE "BH" HERRERA-DY
AN ACT
ESTABLISHING A MEDICAL SCHOLARSHIP AND RETURN SERVICE
PROGRAM FOR DESERVING STUDENTS AND APPROPRIATING FUNDS
THEREFOR
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 and
Retum Service Program 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 to develop its health human resources to meet the health
needs of its citizens and to ensure that the shortage of medical practitioners in the country
is addressed.
Towards this end, the State shall establish a Medical Scholarship and Retum
Service Program that will help deserving medical students pursue medical education and
training in the field of health and medicine who shall eventually render services in
government public health officers or government hospitals in their hometown or in any
municipality in their home province or in any undeserved municipality in any province, as
part of their integration into the public health and medical service system. This shall
ensure the availability of doctors who will provide quality basic, promotive, preventive
and curative health care services in every municipality in the country, especially the
underserved, remote, economically underdeveloped, distressed, conflict-afflicted, and
geographically disadvantaged areas.
SEC. 3. Establishment of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program. — There
shall be established a Medical Scholarship and Retum Services Program for deserving
students in state universities and colleges (SUCs) or in private higher education
institutions (PHEls) in regions where there are no SUCs offering medicine: Provided, that
the scholarship program shall accept at least one (1 ) scholar from each municipality of
the country: Provided, further, That only upon determination that there is no qualified
applicant from a certain municipality shall another qualified applicant be considered,
irrespective of domicile: Provided, furthermore, That the applicant has passed the
admission and other qualifying requirements of the SUCs and PHEls: Provided, finally,
That the total number of government physicians needed for each province or municipality,
as determined by the Department of Health (DOH).
SEC. 4. Coverage of Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program. — The Medical
Scholarship and Return Service Program established under this Act shall be made
available to deserving Filipino students who want to pursue a degree in Doctor of
Medicine in SUCs or in PHEls in regions where there are no SUCs.
1392


The student financial assistance for the Medical Scholarship and Retum Service
Program shall include the following:
(a) Free tuition and other school 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 postgraduate internship;
(g) Medical board review fees;
(h) Annual medical insurance; and
(i) Other education-related miscellaneous subsistence or living allowance.
SEC. 5. Qualified Requirements. — An applicant for the Medical Scholarship and Retum
Service 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 (7)-year Integrated
Liberal Arts Medicine Program (or INTARMED Program) of the University of the
Philippines who satisfactorily completes the first two (2) years of the program:
Provided, that deserving incoming second year medical students and those in the
higher year levels of the Doctor of Medicine program shall also be covered under
this Act;
(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, including the INTARMED program in the University of the
Philippines, as well as the other requirements of the CHED and the DOH ; and
(d) Must have obtained a National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) score mandated
by the CHED and the cut-off score required by the SUC or PHEI where the student
intends to enrOll in.
SEC. 6. Conditions for the Grant Scholarship. — Deserving students accepted to the
Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program shall be subject to the following
conditionalities:
(a)
Must sign an agreement stating the terms and conditions of the scholarship on a
form prescribed by the CHED and the DOH;
(b)
Must carry the full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC or PHEI,
and shall, under no circumstance, drop a course which will result in underloading;
(c)
Must finish the entire Doctor of Medicine program in the prescribed time frame in
the SUC or PHEI where the scholar is enrolled in, subject to the retention policies of the
SUC or PHEI;
(d)
Must undertake postgraduate internship in a DOH-accredited public health facility
or hospital upon graduation from a four (4)- year Doctor of Medicine program, subject to
the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges (APMC) Internship Matching Program:
Provided, That, the graduate of the four (4)-year Doctor of Medicine program must satisfy
all the requirements of the APMC Internship Matching Program: Provided, further, That
for a five (5)-year Doctor of Medicine program, the scholar enrolled in the SUC or PHEl's
base hospital;
(e)
Must take the board examination within a maximum period of one 91 ) year after
completion of an internship program which may be postgraduate internship program for
scholars under a four (4)-year Doctor of Medicine program or after completion of


internship as a fifth-year medical student for scholars under a five (5)-year Doctor of
Medicine program; and
(f)
Must serve in a government public health office or government hospital in the
scholar's hometown or, in the absence of a need thereat, in any municipality within the
scholar's home province, or in any undeserved municipality closest to the scholar's
hometown in any province determined by the DOH as a priority area, for at least eight (8)
years or two (2) years for every scholarship year availed of, which shall be completed
within ten (10) years upon completion of internship for those who have availed of a four
(4)- year program , upon passing the licensure examination for physicians, which shall be
part of the mandatory retum service and integration into the public health and medical
service system: Provided, That this mandatory return service shall be in addition to the
required postgraduate internship after graduating from a four (4)-year Doctor of Medicine
program and shall also be in addition to the return service requirement of SUC or PHEI:
Provided, further, That residency training shall be considered as a return service under this
provision: Provided, finally, That the physician shall receive appropriate salaries and other
benefits for services rendered under the mandatory integration into the public health and
medical service system.
The scholar may be allowed, for valid reasons preventing the enrollment, 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 concerned SUC and PHEI.
The scholar who fails to pass the licensure examination within one (1) year after
graduation and completion of postgraduate internship and other academic requirements
shall
shoulder
all necessary expenses for the succeeding professional licensure
examinations.
SEC. 7. Disqualifications. — The scholar shall repay the full cost of scholarship and
related benefits received, including all the expenses incurred during the participation in
the scholarship program, and the scholarship shall be terminated in case of the following
circumstances:
(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 (40%) of the subjects or fails to meet the academic
requirements of the SUCs or PHEls or to complete the course within the prescribed period
without valid cause as may be determined by the SUC or PHEI, the CHED or the DOH
such as due to absence without notice, reasons of willful neglect or other causes within
the control of the scholar: Provided, That if the terminated scholar chooses, instead of
repayment of scholarship costs, to work within the government's public health and
medical service system, such as engaging in health-related subjects in a public educational
institution or be integrated into the public health and medical service system for a period
equivalent to eight (8) years or the mandatory length of service that should have been
rendered as stipulated in this Act: Provided, further, That the alternative return service
shall exclude residency training;
(c)
If the scholar fails to pass the licensure examination for physicians for the second
time; and
(d)
If the scholar commits behavioral misconduct in a manner that would bring
significant damage to HEI, government institution concern, persons and the community.
SEC. 8. Mandatory Return Service and Integration of the Scholar into the Public Health
and Medical Service System. — Upon passing the Physician Licensure Examination
(PLE) administered by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), the scholar
becomes a licensed physician, shall be integrated into the public health and medical and
service system, through the


DOH, with the appropriate rank and salary and related benefits. The mandatory return
service upon integration into the public health and medical service system under this Act
shall be for a period equivalent to at least eight (8) years within ten (10) years for those
who have availed of a four (4)-year program, and twelve (12) years for those who availed
of a five (5)-year program, upon passing the licensure examination for physicians, which
shall be part of the mandatory service and integration into the public health and medical
service system.
The mandatory return service and integration into the public health and medical service
under this Act shall be separate and distinct from the return service requirement of the
SUCs or PHEls and the mandatory postgraduate internship in a DOH-accredited public
health facility or hospital, required by the PRC as a prerequisite for taking the PLE.
SEC. 9. Sanctions. — In the event that a physician who has availed of the Medical
Scholarship and Return Service Program fails or refuse to serve in a government hospital
or any local health office in the scholar's home province or in any municipality in the
scholar's home province or in any undeserved municipality in any province, as provided
under Section 6 thereof, or fails or refuses to comply with the mandatory integration, as
provided in Section 8 hereof, the physician shall be required to pay twice the full cost of
scholarship including other benefits and expenses incurred by reason of participation in
the scholarship program.
In a case of non-payment, as provided in the preceding paragraph, the PRC shall deny the
renewal of the physician's license: Provided, That the above mentioned penalties 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.
SEC. 10. Roles of the CHED. — The CHED shall perform the following functions:
(a)
Conduct regular information dissemination of and recruitment to the Medical
Scholarship and Return Service Program in SUCs and PHEls to ensure that there will be
an adequate number of medical doctors in all the municipalities and provinces;
(b)
Review, modify and enhance the medical education curriculum to prepare
graduates to work in community-based health programs, and to function competently
when working with experienced physicians;
(c)
Coordinate, together with the SUCs and PHEls, with the DOH for the integration
of the medical scholar who has passed the PLE into the public health and medical service
system;
(d)
Formulate, promulgate, disseminate and implement the necessary policies,
standards, guidelines and rules and regulations for the effective implementation of the
Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program under this Act;
(e)
Develop strategies to improve the quality of the Doctor of Medicine program and
implement a system of quality control for the offering of Doctor of Medicine program in
SUCs and PHEls;
(f)
Monitor and evaluate existing Doctor of Medicine programs of SUCs and effect the
continuation or closure of programs in accordance with the provisions of Republic Act
No. 7722 or the "Higher Education Act of 1994" and other CHED issuances, as
applicable;
(g)
Review and approve or disapprove proposals from SUCs and PHEls for the
offering of a new Doctor of Medicine programs;
(h)
Disseminate information on the required percentile cut-off score of SUCs and
PHEls to guide the student applicants on which school to apply to;
(i)
Require SUCs and PHEls to submit a tracking, monitoring and assistance program
in order to determine the whereabouts of the medical scholars after graduation from SUCs
or PHEIS•,
(j)
Ensure that the SUCs and PHEls provide the timely release and accurate
distribution of allowances and other fees to the scholars; and


(k)
Recommend to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) the budget for
the implementation of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program in SUCs and
PHEls based on its monitoring and evaluation results.
SEC. 11. Roles of the SUCs and PHEls. — The SUCs and PHEls shall perform the
following functions:
(a)
Monitor the progress of all scholars in their respective educational institutions,
identify students who have low or failing grades, and counsel them to improve their
academic performance;
(b)
Ensure the timely release and accurate distribution of allowances and other fees to
the scholars;
(c)
Make an annual report to the CHED on the performance of medical scholars and
other necessary or vital information regarding the Medical Scholarship and Return
Service Program;
(d)
Assist the CHED in the conduct of regular information dissemination on, and
recruitment to, the Medical Scholarship and Retum Service Program;
(e)
Review, modify and enhance the medical education curriculum to prepare the
scholars to work in community-based health programs;
(f)
Coordinate with the DOH in the conduct of an inventory of its trainable personnel
who can be potential beneficiaries of the program;
(g)
Coordinate with the CHED, DOH, PRC, other concerned agencies, and local
government units (LGUs) in the integration of the scholar into the public health and
medical service system;
(h)
Develop strategies to improve the quality of the Doctor of Medicine program and
implement a system of review and evaluation for quality control for the offering of doctor
of Medicine program in their respective educational institutions;
(i)
Conduct a tracer study on the whereabouts of their respective medical scholars
after graduation from their respective educational institutions and submit the results of the
tracer study to the CHED;
(j)
Recommend to the CHED and the DBM the budget necessary to implement the
Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program in their respective institutions, based on
their own monitoring and evaluation of results; and
(k)
Perform such other functions as the Presidents of the SUC or PHEI may deem
necessary for the success of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program in their
respective educational institutions.
SEC. 12. Roles of the DOH. — The DOH shall perform the following functions:
(a)
Determine the number of physicians needed for every municipality or province, as
well as the number of physicians needed in the town or province where the SUC is
situated;
(b)
Determine the distribution of scholars per municipality or province;
(c)
Coordinate with the CHED, SUCs, PHEls and PRC to determine the number of
graduates of the Doctor of Medicine course and passers of the medical board
examinations;
(d)
Provide for the integration of the scholar into the public health and medical service
system, including the necessary number of plantilla positions to accommodate the new
doctors in the provincial hospitals;
(e)
Assist the CHED in the conduct of the regular information dissemination on the
Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program, the recruitment of scholar applicants,
and the integration of successful scholars into the public health and medical service
system to ensure the continuous deployment of medical doctors to all provinces,
especially
in
the
undeserved,
remote,
economically
underdeveloped,
distressed,
conflict-afflicted, and geographically disadvantaged municipalities;


(f)
Craft a career pathway for public health practitioners in the DOH and at the local
level as an incentive to the graduates of medicine to enhance their competencies and skills
for career progression;
(g)
Coordinate with the LGUs for the mandatory integration of doctors/scholars into
the public health and medical service system;
(h)
Conduct an inventory of its trainable personnel who can benefit from the program;
(i)
Monitor, supervise and evaluate the performance and length of service of the
scholars integrated into the public health and medical service system;
(j)
Provide funds for the implementation of the integration program under this Act;
and
(k)
Recommend to the DBM the budget for the plantilla positions for the doctors to be
integrated into the public health and medical service system, including the determination
of salaries and salary increases.
SEC. 13. Roles of LGUs. — LGUs are mandated to support the integration of the scholar
into the public health and medical service system by performing the following functions:
(a)
Ensure that there is a mechanism to provide the necessary support to the integration
program of physicians who will be assigned to the LGU;
(b)
Coordinate with the DOH and the physicians to determine the specific health needs
or requirements of the community and provide the necessary assistance, including the
improvement of the health facilities in the municipality and involvement in the research
component of the public health and medical service system;
(c)
May maintain a regular counterpart fund to be used for providing the balance of the
scholarship budget for scholars enrolled in PHEls, subject to availability of funds;
(d)
Provide for the board and lodging, travel expenses and other forms of financial
assistance enumerated under Section 4 of this Act, subject to availability of funds, for the
scholar enrolled in the PHEls located in the municipality under the concerned LGU:
Provided, That the scholar shall serve in the same LGU upon passing the licensure
examination. If the municipal government cannot afford the said expenses, the provincial
government shall shoulder the same: Provided, further, That the said provincial
government shall decide in what municipality the scholar shall eventually serve;
(e)
Provide other forms of financial assistance, subject to availability of funds, to
support the integration program of doctors in the LGUs;
(f)
Ensure the safety and security of the physicians integrated into the public health
and medical service program;
(g)
Recommend
to
the
concerned
SUC
or
PHEI
any
improvement
in
the
implementation of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program;
(h)
Conduct an information dissemination campaign on the Medical Scholarship and
Return Service Program within the municipality or province, with the objective of
attracting bright applicants to the said program;
(i)
Coordinate with the CHED and other government agencies and nongovernmental
organizations involved in the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program;
(j)
Coordinate with and encourage the active participation of the parents and other
family members of the scholars in the Medical Scholarship and return Service Program;
(k)
Exercise such other powers and perform all other acts and duties which shall assist
the scholar and ascertain the success of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service
Program; and
(l)
Execute and enforce laws, ordinances and regulations which may, directly or
indirectly, have a positive impact on the Medical Scholarship and Retum Service
Program.
SEC. 14. Appropriations. — The amount necessary to carry out the initial implementation
of this Act shall be charged against the current year's appropriations of the SUCs and the
DOH.


Thereafter, the amount necessary for the continued implementation of the Medical
Scholarship and Retum Service Program for deserving students shall be included and
subsumed into the scholarship program of SUCs and CHED in the annual General
Appropriations Act.
SEC. 15. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Medical Scholarship and Return
Service System. — There is hereby created a Joint Congressional Oversight Committee to
oversee, monitor and evaluate the implementation of this Act.
The Oversight Committee shall be composed of five (5) members each from the Senate
and from the House of Representatives, and shall include the following Chairperson of the
Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture; Chairperson of the House Committee
on Higher and Technical Education; Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Health;
Chairperson of the House Committee on Health; and three (3) members each to be chosen
from the membership of the Senate Committee on Education, Arts and Culture and the
House Committee on Higher and Technical Education by the Senate President and the
House Speaker, respectively: Provided, That at least one (1 ) member from the respective
nominees of the House of Representatives and the Senate shall be chosen from the
Minority party/bloc.
SEC. 16. Five (5)-Year Review of the Number of Scholars to be Admitted — Every five
(5) years from the effectivity of this Act, the CHED, DOH, SUCs and PHEls shall
determine the number of scholars to be admitted every school year. The number of
physicians needed by the municipality or province where the SUC or PHEI is situated
shall be taken into consideration in determining the number of scholars.
SEC. 17. Implementing Rules and Regulations. — Within sixty (60) days from the
effectivity of this Act, the CHED and the DOH, in coordination with the Philippine
Association of State Universities and Colleges, Coordinating Council of Private
Educational Associations, League of Municipalities, Association of Municipal Health
Officers of the Philippines (AMHOP), Non Government Community-Based Health
Programs, PRC, DBM, SUCs, PHEls, APMC, APMCStudent Network and other relevant
stakeholders, shall formulate and issue the rules and regulations to fully implement the
provisions of this Act.
SEC. 18. Separability Clause. — If any part or provision of this Act shall be held
unconstitutional or invalid, the other parts or provisions not affected thereby shall remain
in full force and effect.
SEC. 19. Repealing Clause. — All laws, decrees, executive orders, rules and regulations
and other issuances or parts thereof inconsistent with the provisions of this Act are hereby
repealed or modified accordingly.
SEC. 20. Effectivity. — This Act shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in
the Official Gazette or in a newspaper of general circulation.
Approved,