The proposed CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine will be situated inside the compound of the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City. | CDND File Photo
CEBU CITY, Philippines — The Central Visayas Development Council has approved a proposal to establish the first state-funded medical school in the region to provide free education to aspiring doctors here.
RDC-7’s Social Development Council (SDC) is proposing for this to be called the Cebu Normal University-Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (CNU-VSMMC) College of Medicine.
During its third-quarter full council meeting that was held on Friday, Sept. 18, Evelyn Castro, the SDC chairperson, said that the partnership between CNU and VSMMC would “allow the university to handle all academic aspects of the degree while the hospital will provide the training, instructions, and teaching support to the students.”
The proposed CNU-VSMMC will offer a Doctor of Medicine Program with a Masters in Public Health Governance to deserving students in Central Visayas.
In return, Castro said the graduates will be asked to serve government health centers, especially the rural health units, for five years before they will be allowed to start a private practice.
“This will address the lack of doctors in our rural areas,” said Castro.
With the RDC-7 approval, the proposal will now be endorsed to the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) for approval and implementation.
Castro said that the new school will occupy the current location of the Medical Center’s Cancer Center that is located inside the VSMMC compound in Cebu City.
Having a state-run College of Medicine will make sure that the country will have enough doctors to serve the public, she said.
Castro dded that the graduates of the CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine will not only be made health care experts but also “transformative leaders in health governance with competencies in leadership and governance, health systems development, community ownership and participation, primary health care concepts, and research.” / dcb