“The requested budget for the School of Medicine that you championed is finally realized in the GAA 2023,” BISU President Dr. Anthony Penaso said, thanking Chatto for securing the budget for the school.
Penaso expressed gratitude for Chatto’s unwavering support to BISU as they push to open the medical college next school year.
First District Representative Edgar Chatto has bared that the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2023 is providing P102.3 million for the establishment of the Bohol Island State University (BISU) School of Medicine.
A technical team led by Dean Niño Ismael Pastor is facilitating the compliance of the requirements for the medical school application of BISU.
The height of Coronavirus disease (Covid) pandemic was a turning point for the BISU dream of having a medical school, Chatto said.
The pandemic made it obvious that one of the biggest issues in the province is the lack of doctors in hospitals as well as in Rural Health Units across the Bohol.
The medical school supports the objective of strengthening the health care system of Bohol; it complements the expansion of the province’s tertiary hospital–the Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi-Specialty Medical Complex, the construction of which is ongoing.
The BISU medical school also fulfills the mandate of the “Doktor Para sa Bayan Law”.
The hospital in Cortes is expected to open its Phase 1 later this year, if plans don’t miscarry.
Chatto who authored the law establishing the province’s only state university, strongly backed the university’s priorities, recognizing its exemplary accomplishment in providing quality education.
FEEDER
Around 2020, Chatto met with the president of Holy Name University (HNU)–Fr. Ruel Lero, and the president of University of Bohol (UB)–Dr. Victoriano Tirol III, to discuss the plans for a medical school in Bohol.
The private universities will act as a feeder of students for the medical school. This means, the two schools–UB and HNU are going to provide students who will take up the medical course at BISU.
Earlier, Chatto said that top-performing students of the local universities will be among the priority candidates for admission into the new medical school.
The solon said in the consultation meeting with the university presidents that it will be BISU which will offer the medical degree while the preparatory courses for the medical course shall be offered by UB and HNU.
GALLARES HOSPITAL
The Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi-Specialty Medical Center, a brainchild of Chatto, will play a huge role in the production of Boholano doctors.
The hospital in Cortes complimenting the existing one in Tagbilaran City will become the venue for training of the new doctors.
During the height of the pandemic, it was noted that a sizeable number of doctors practicing in the province are not from Bohol.
This fact only boosted the idea of having a medical school in Bohol as students here have to travel to Manila, Cebu, Mindanao, or even Dumaguete City just to study medicine. There is no way for Boholanos to stay within the province and study medicine–and the medical school of BISU fills the need.
In earlier reports, it was mentioned that Gov. Celestino Gallares Multi-Specialty Medical Complex will include spaces to be used as classrooms to accommodate students of the medical school.
It is a fact that the leadership of the only apex referral hospital in Bohol, led by Dr. Mutya Kismet-Macuno, has been working closely with authorities in the establishment of the BISU medical school.
It can be recalled that Macuno expressed readiness to provide the needed support to the establishment and operation of the BISU medical school.