TAGBILARAN CITY, Bohol (PIA)—The country’s first state university in Bohol which was eyed to sustainably support the province in its strategic development initiatives adds a feather to its cap as it opens this year the first public university-based School of Medicine (SOM), and opens a golden door for poor and yet deserving Boholanos to become doctors.
Eyed to support Bohol’s strategic development by providing a trained workforce that could sustainably run Bohol’s development directions, Bohol Island State University (BISU), now expands its course offerings from its initial specialization in arts and trades and agriculture, forestry and technology, to medicine, which would start its pioneering batch this August.
It was in May 26, 2023 that the Commission on Higher Education, in an enbanc resolution, allowed the provisional operation of the BISU SOM in the second state university in the VIsayas.
This was when Boholano leaders led by Congressman Edgar Chatto presented the idea in September of 2020, when the idea of homegrown physicians that could provide doctors to underserved communities started.
Using Republic Act 11509 of the Doctor Para sa Bayan, BISU SOM allows students in its medical scholarship program to complete the course and then render twice the number of years of scholarship.
As they finish the course, they will be incorporated in the public health care system, before they can transfer to whatever is their calling, explained Department of Health Undersecretary Kenneth Ronquillo who was present during the launching ceremonies of the Bohol school.
Under the Doktor Para sa Bayan scholarship, students can get tuition fee allowances, clothing, dormitory, book allowances, living allowances, transportation allowances and other miscellaneous allowances.
BISU started from the humble diggings of Bilar Agricultural College and the Bohol School of Arts and Trades to Central Visayas State College for Agriculture, Forestry and Technology.
With Bohol envisioning itself to become an prime eco-cultural tourism destination with a strong agro- industry, local officials made sure that the school churns out reliable and competent graduates to man these sectors as the province moves to strategically develop, economically.
But with the health sector here manned still by health professionals from outside Bohol, the experience of the pandemic when medical specialists could not cross to Bohol, the need to produce home-grown physicians to provide services to the underserved, became even more pronounced, shared Congressman Edgar Chatto, the noted Father of BISU SOM.
As the government heaps attention to health care in line with the Universal Access to Health Care law, the SOM supports the local agenda of strengthening health care in Bohol, especially cognizant that Bohol has many talents but with fewer opportunities for school, the need to supply its own doctors and specialists as well as consultants to the region’s specialty health care facilities surface, he added.
The training form BISU SOM can also be critical in realizing the need for an apex referral facility from where issues beyond the competency of Rural Health Units can fill.
For this, Bohol Governor Erico Aristotle Aumentado hailed BISU for venturing into a public medical school that could offer quality health care and proficient, competently trained medical practitioners.
The SOM can help us become a stronger and more resilient province, Aumentado added while promising his 100% support to the SOM.
For his part, BISU president Dr. Anthony Penaso said this is part of the schools commitment to advancing medical education and the pursuit of knowledge, innovation and service to the community.
He also promised to nurture the next generation of doctors that Bohol would have from BISU. (rahc/PIA-7/Bohol)
