The Bohol Island State University (BISU) College of Medicine needs faculty members as the university’s leadership prepares for the opening of the medical school this year.
This was bared by BISU President Dr. Regucivilla Pobar in a meeting with Cong. Edgar Chatto and Gov. Celestino Gallares Memorial Hospital (GCGMH) medical center chief Dr. Mutya Kismet Macuno on Wednesday, Jan. 6, 2021.
The hiring of faculty members is one of the major steps BISU is taking to prepare for the opening of the state university’s medical school, Pobar said.
Moreover, Pobar said that BISU is busy crafting the course syllabus, identification of equipment and instructional devices and books, and the drafting and approval of admission guidelines.
A technical working group (TWG) has been created as suggested by Chatto to facilitate the compliance to the requirements needed in the operationalization of the medical school.
The BISU TWG is headed by Dr. Maria Lilibeth Castil and the GCGMH TWG is led by Dr. Luciano Sarabosing, as designated by Pobar and Macuno, respectively.
Furthermore, Pobar said that so far, around 500 students expressed interest to apply for the program based on a survey conducted by BISU.
The university however clarifies that only National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) passers will be evaluated for admission in the program.
Likewise, Macuno, for her part reported that with the expansion of the GCGMH in Tagbilaran City, rooms in the hospital’s fifth floor will be made available for the medical school’s use.
The 2021 General Appropriations Act allocated P50million for the establishment of the BISU College of Medicine, with P45 million is earmarked for capital outlay and P 5 million is intended to fund the operations.
Moreover, Chatto revealed that the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) also set aside P150 million in its budget to be used by BISU’s medical school.
Last year, Chatto presented the concept of the medical school to Bohol universities and sought the support of CHED Chairman Dr. Prospero De Vera, University of the Philippines (UP) president Danny Concepcion, Department of Health (DOH) Sec. Francisco Duque, Philippine Regulatory Commission (PRC) Chair Teofilo Pilando and the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges.
The planned medical school is in support to the Provincial Government of Bohol’s aim of strengthening the province’s healthcare system under the leadership of Gov. Arthur Yap and Vice Gov. Rene Relampagos by producing homegrown physicians.
The establishment of the BISU College of Medicine comes at the heels of the completion of the phase 2 building expansion of GCGMH‘s Tagbilaran facility and the upcoming construction of GCGMH‘s Specialized Care Medical Center in Cortes, which are both initiatives of Cong. Chatto.
The plan also aligns with the new Doktor Para sa Bayan Law, which Chatto co-authored, and recently signed by President Rodrigo Duterte.
The law creates a scholarship and return service program for medical students.
The medical scholarship and return service program in state universities and colleges or partner private higher education institutions shall cover the following: free tuition and other school fees, allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment, clothing or uniform allowance, allowance for dormitory or boarding house accommodation, transportation allowance, internship fees, medical board review fees, licensure fees, annual medical insurance, all other education-related miscellaneous subsistence or living expenses.
Under the program, the graduates will eventually render services in government hospitals in their hometown or in any municipality in their home province or in any underserved municipality in the country.