EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

___Introduced by Representative Rufus B. Rodriquez _
3745
House Bill No.

EXPLANATORY NOTE

Recent data shows that the Philippines has a shortage of about 15,000 doctors to be
able to adequately meet the health needs of Filipinos each year. According to the
Department of Health, the country is producing around 2,600. This results in a very low
doctor to patient ratio.

The World Health Organization (WHO) prescribes a 1:1,000 ratio. As a comparison,
Cuba has one doctor for every 1,075 patients, while the Philippines has a ratio of one doctor
for every 33,000 persons

Aside from this, the Philippines also has a problem with doctors refusing to go to rural
areas. As an example, the Department of Health’s Doctors to the Barrios program has
around 900 available slots. However, at present, there only 215 doctors serving under the
program, deployed everywhere from Batanes to Tawi-tawi

This bill seeks to address these problems by providing access to medical education
to students aspiring to become doctors, especially those who are financially disadvantaged
and to instill in them the importance of medical service to the country, especially in the
underserved areas

In view of the foregoing, immediate passage of this measure is earnestly requested

bit ft
RYFUS B. ROPRIGUEZ


EIGHTEENTH CONGRESS )
REPUBLIC OF THE PHILIPPINES )
First Regular Session )

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

House Bill No. 3745

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 14. 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 (PHE!s) in regions where there are no SUCS offering medicine: Provided, That
the scholarship program shall accept at least one 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, further, That the applicant has passed the admission and other qualifying
requirements of the SUCs and PHEls: Provided, finally, That the total number of scholars
per province or municipality shall depend on the number of government physicians needed
for each province or municipality, as determined by the Department of Health (DOH)

SEC. 4. Coverage of the 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 PHE!s in regions where there are no SUCs.

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
¢) Clothing or uniform allowance;

d) Allowance for dormitory or boarding house accommodation;

e) Transportation allowance;

f)_ Internship fees, including financial assistance during post-graduate 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-year Integrated Liberal Arts
Medicine Program (or INTARMED Program) of the University of the Philippines who
satisfactorily completes the first two 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 requirement 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 PHE! 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 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 PHE! where the scholar is enrolled in, subject to the retention policies of the
SUC or PHEI;

d) Must undertake post-graduate 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, the graduate of the four-year Doctor of Medicine program must
satisfy all the requirements of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges
Internship Matching Program: Provided, further, That, for a five-year Doctor of
Medicine program, the scholar enrolled in the SUC or PHE! must undertake the
post-graduate internship in the SUC’s or PHEI'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 post-graduate internship
program for scholars under a four-year Doctor of Medicine program or after
‘completion of internship as a fifth-year medical student for scholars under a five-year
Doctor of Medicine program; and

f) Must serve in a goverment 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 years for every scholarship year availed of, which shall be
completed within ten (10) years upon completion of intemship 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, 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 post-graduate internship after graduating from a four-year
Doctor of Medicine program and shail also be in addition to the retum service
requirement of the SUC or PHE!: Provided, further, That residency training shall not
be considered as a retum 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.

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 concemed SUC and PHE!

The scholar who fails to pass the licensure examination within one (1) year after
graduation and completion of post-graduate intemship 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 forty (40) percent 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 PHE!, CHED or the
DOH such as due to absence without notice, reasons of wilful 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 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 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 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 Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC), the
scholar becomes a 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 shalll be for a period equivalent to at least eight (8) years within ten
(10) years for those who have availed of a four-year program, and twelve (12) years for


those who availed of a five-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 retum 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 PHEls and the mandatory post-graduate internship in a DOH-
accredited public health facility or hospital, required by the PRC as a prerequisite for taking
the Licensure Examination for Physicians.

SEC. 9. Sanctions. — In the event that a physician who has availed of the Medical
Scholarship and Retum Service Program fails or refuses to serve in 2 goverment 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, 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 non-payment, 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 retum 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 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;

©) 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;

@) Formulate, promulgate, disseminate and implement the necessary policies,
standards, guidelines, and rules and regulations for the effective implementation
of the Medical Scholarship 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 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
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 or PHE!Is;

j) Ensure that the SUCs and PHE!Is 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 Program in SUCs and PHEIs
based on its monitoring and evaluation results.

SEC. 11. Roles of the SUCs and PHEls. ~ The SUCs and PHEI!s 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
Service Program.

) 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;

9) Coordinate with the CHED, DOH, PRC, other concerned agencies, and 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;

i) Recommend to the CHED and the DBM the budget necessary to implement the
Medical Scholarship 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 PHE! may deem
necessary for the success of the Medical Scholarship and 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
state university or college is situated;

b) Determine the distribution of scholars per municipality/province;

¢) Coordinate with the CHED, SUCs, PHE!s and the PRC to determine the number
of graduates of the Doctor of Medicine course and passers of the medical board
examination:

4) 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;


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;

9) Coordinate with the local government units (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 plantilia 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 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 PHEIs located in the municipality under the
concemed LGU: Provided, That the scholar shall serve in the same LGU. upon
passing the licensure exam.
If the municipal govemment cannot afford the said expenses, the provincial
government shall shoulder the same: Provided, 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 PHE! any improvement in the
implementation of the Medical Scholarship and Service Program,

h) Conduct an information dissemination campaign on the Medical Scholarship and
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 non-
governmental organizations involved in the Medical Scholarship and 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 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
Service Program; and


1) Execute and enforce laws, ordinances and regulations which may, directly or
indirectly, have a positive impact on the Medical Scholarship and 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
SUCS and 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 General Appropriations
Act.

SEC. 15. Joint Congressional Oversight Committee on Medical Scholarship
and 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 member from the respective
nominees of the House of Representatives and the Senate shall be chosen from the Minority
party/oloc.

SEC. 16. Five-Year Review of the Number of Scholars to be Admitted. - Every
five (5) years from the effectivity of this Act, the CHED, the DOH, the SUCs and the 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 PHE! 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 (AMHOP), Non-
Government 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,