Samar State University (Facebook photo)
MANILA – The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) approved the public medical school application of Samar State University (SSU).
In a statement on Sunday night, CHED Chairperson J. Prospero de Vera III said the government authority to operate was granted to the SSU's Samar Island Institute of Medicine (SIIM) for its Doctor of Medicine program.
The move is in line with the country's target to increase the number of local doctors, under the administration of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.
“The expansion of medical education in Samar will facilitate the implementation of Republic Act No. 11509 or the Doktor Para sa Bayan (Doctor for the Nation) law as there is no state college or university in Eastern Visayas where poor but deserving students can become doctors," he said.
SSU president Marilyn Cardoso said she is “filled with immense pride, joy, and gratitude that the University has finally been granted authority by CHED to offer the Doctor of Medicine program."
"It represents SSU’s commitment to rewriting the narrative of Samar, to transform the healthcare landscape, and to ensure that the peoples of Samar and beyond will have access to world-class medical training and care," Cardoso said in a news release.
Samar Governor Sharee Ann Tan said CHED’s go-signal would result in a more accessible institution for all aspiring doctors in the province.
"I am sure that we are capable of producing home-grown doctors and specialists who have the heart to serve their fellow Samarnons,” she said.
The SSU-SIIM is the 20th institution in the country to receive approval for a medical degree program, in line with the goal of the Doktor para sa Bayan law.
The law aims to increase the number of graduates of local medical doctors who will serve in rural areas through the Medical Scholarship and Return Service (MSRS) program.
To date, 2,689 poor yet qualified students are under the MSRS in public and private-partner medical schools in the country, including eight state universities and colleges in Luzon, five in Visayas, and seven in Mindanao. (PNA)
