Medical College in Cebu to Rise Soon

A state-funded medical college will soon rise in Cebu to help the less fortunate students to pursue their dreams of becoming a medical practitioners.

The Cebu Normal University-Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (CNU-VSMMC) – College of Medicine is said to be one of the solutions for the current shortage of medical doctors in Central Visayas (Region-7).

“This office acknowledges the lack of health professionals serving the rural areas due to opportunities offered by the urban areas in terms of medical practice and lifestyle preferences,” said Secretary Michael Dino in his letter to Commission on Higher Education Chairperson Dr. Prospero De Vera III.

Based on a record, the doctor-client ratio in Central Visayas alone is 1:28,341, far from the ideal 1:100 for Primary Heath Care Service.

Top-performing students who cannot afford to enroll in expensive private medical schools will be prioritized in the said state-funded College of Medicine.

Meanwhile, VSMMC Medical Chief Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr. revealed that they have already appeared before the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) Technical Committee for Medical Education as part of the application process.

“We target to begin classes in August 2020 at the Medical Center’s Cancer Center while we await for the approval of the budget allocation under the General Appropriation Act (GAA) in the coming years,” said Dr. Aquino

The 5-year straight program of Doctor of Medicine with Masters in Public Health Governance degree will surely produce doctors who are not only experts in delivering patient care services but also transformative leaders in health governance to help achieve positive outcomes in our public health sector. (MLC)