Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
1 Regular Session

6347

House Bill No.

Introduced by Representative ERIC GO YAP and PAOLO Z. DUTERTE

EXPLANATORY NOTE

According to a report of Department of Health in 2016, the doctor-to-patient
ratio stands at 1:33,000, which is far below from the global average of 1:6,600. The
doctor shortage in the country may be caused in part by education expenses and
overseas migration. The costs of becoming a doctor are already challenging enough,
so wanting to earn back what was spent during years of study and training seems
logical.

The most disadvantaged in this scenario are those who need medical attention,
but there are no enabling mechanisms for them to reach out to a doctor for medical
consultation and services. Especially in far-flung villages, it is not uncommon that
some residents have never seen a doctor from their birth to their death.

This bill seeks to provide access to medical education of students aspiring to
become doctors, especially those who are financially disadvantaged, to instill in them
the importance of medical service to the country, especially in the underserved areas.
More so, through the Return Service Program, this bill seeks to narrow down the
doctor to population ratio, specifically in geographically isolated and disadvantaged
communities.

This bill adopts the version of the same subject that was passed on third reading

in the House of Representatives during the 17" Congress. In view of the foregoing,
approval of this bill is earnestly sought.

—————ee

ERIC GO YAP PAOLO Z. DUTERTE


Republic of the Philippines
HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
Quezon City, Metro Manila

EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS
1+ Regular Session

House Bill No. 6347

Introduced by Representative ERIC GO YAP and PAOLO Z. DUTERTE

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
Return 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 Return
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 offices or government hospitals in their hometown or in
any municipality in their home province or in any underserved 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 Return Service Program for
deserving students in state universities and colleges (SUCs) or in private higher
education institutions (PHEIs) 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 PHEIs: 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 PHEIs in regions where there are no SUCs.

The student financial assistance for the Medical Scholarship and Return Service
Program shall include the following:

(a) Free tuition and other school fees;

(b) Allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment;

(©) Clothing or uniform allowance;

(a) Allowance for dormitory or boarding house accommodation;

(e) Transportation allowance;

() 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 allowances.

SEC. 5. Qualification Requirements. - An applicant for the Medical
Scholarship and Return 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
the 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;


(©) Must have passed the entrance examinations and other related
requirements for admission for a Doctor of Medicine degree in 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

(a) 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 of 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 CHED and the DOH;

(b) Must carry the full load of subjects prescribed per semester by the SUC or PHEL,
and shall, under no circumstance, drop a course which will result in
underloading;

(©) 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 relation
policies of the SUC and 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 (40 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
or Medicine Program, the scholar enrolled in the SUC or PHEI must undertake
the postgraduate internship in the SUC’s or PHET's base hospital;

(e) Must take the board examination within a maximum period of one (1) year
after completion of an internship program which may be a 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

(Q) 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 underserved 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,
and twelve (12) years for those who have availed of a five (5)-year program,


upon passing the licensure examination for physicians, which shall be part of
the mandatory return 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 the SUC or PHEI: 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 enrolment, to defer
availing of the scholarship and file a leave of absence for a period 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) school
year after graduation and completion of postgraduate internship and other academic
requirements shall shoulder all the 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 the forty percent (40%) of the subjects or fails to meet
the academic requirements of the SUCs or PHEIs 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
research work for the government or by teaching 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:

(0) If the scholar fails to pass the licensure examination for physicians for the
second time;


(d) If the scholar commits behavioral misconduct in a manner that would bring
significant damage to the HEI, government institution concerned, 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 licensed physician, shall be integrated into the public health and
medical 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 integration into the public health and medical service system.

The 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 SUCs or PHEIs 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.

SECTION 9. Sanctions. - In the event that a physician who has availed of the
Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program fails or refuses to serve in a
government hospital or any local health office in the scholar’s hometown or in any
municipality in the scholar’s home province or in any underserved municipality in
any province, as provided under Section 6(f) hereof, 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 case of nonpayment, as provided in the preceding paragraph, the PRC shall
deny the renewal of the physician’s license: Provided, That the abovementioned
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 PHEIs 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;

(©) Coordinate, together with the SUCs and PHEIs, with the DOH for the
integration of 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;

(©) Developed 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 PHEIs;

(0) 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 PHEIs for the
offering of new Doctor of Medicine programs;

(h) Disseminate information on the required percentile cut-off score of SUCs
and PHEIs to guide the student applications on which school to apply to;

(i) Require SUCs and PHEIs to submit a tracking, monitoring and assistance
proposal; and to implement and evaluate the tracking, monitoring and
assistance program in order to determine the whereabouts of the medical
scholars after graduation from SUCs and PHEIs;

() Ensure that the SUCs and PHEIs 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 implementation of the Medical Scholarship and Return Service
Program in SUCs and PHEIs based on its monitoring and evaluation results.

SEC. 11. Roles of the SUCs and PHEIs. - The SUCs and PHEIs 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;


(©) 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 Return Service
Program;

(©) Review, modify and enhance the medical education curriculum to
prepare the scholars to work in community-based health programs;

(® 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;

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;

() 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;

(©) Coordinate with the CHED, SUCs, PHEIs and PRC determine the number
of graduates of the Doctor of Medicine course and passers of the medical
board examination;

(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;

(©) 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 underserved, remote,
economically underdeveloped, distressed, _conflict-afflicted, and
geographically disadvantaged municipalities;

(®) 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;

() Monitor, supervise, and evaluate the performance and length of service of
the scholars integrated into the public health 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;

(©) May maintain regular counterpart fund to be used for providing the balance
of the scholarship budget for scholars enrolled in PHEIs, 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 PHEIs 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;

(©) Provide other forms of financial assistance, subject to availability of funds,
to support the integration program of doctors in LGUs;

(® 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 and 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;

() Coordinate with the CHED and other government agencies and
nongovernmental organizations involved in the Medical Scholarship and
Return Service Program;

() 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 powers and perform all other acts and duties which shall
assist the scholar and ascertain the success of the Medical Scholar and
Return Service Program; and

() Execute and enforce laws, ordinances and regulations which may, directly
or indirectly, have a positive impact on the Medical Scholar and Return
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 Return 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 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 PHEIs
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), Nongovernment Community-Based
Health Programs, PRC, DBM, SUCs, PHEIs, APMC, APMC-Student 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,

10