Congresswoman Janette “Doc Nanay” Garin, during the hearing of the Committee on Higher Education, calls on the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to swiftly execute the pilot implementation of an innovative medical curriculum. This curriculum aims to reduce the number of years required for medical school education from the current nine-year period (not counting the additional 2 years under the K to 12 curriculum) to a more efficient seven-year program. The proposed curriculum consists of two years of pre-medical subjects, followed by four years of medical studies, and culminating in a one-year post graduate internship.

During the Technical Working Group (TWG) deliberations on the proposed Physician’s Act, CHED expressed its concerns regarding the restrictive provisions outlined in the outdated Medical Act of 1959, which presently enforces the nine-year duration for medical school education. Recognizing the need for reform, Congresswoman Garin urges CHED to transcend these limitations and seize the opportunity to introduce a pioneering pilot curriculum. The West Visayas State University, a renowned institution in the Visayas region, is being poised to spearhead the implementation of this innovative curriculum.

If this proposal successfully moves forward, it will have far-reaching benefits. The reduction in the length of medical education will significantly decrease the financial burden placed upon aspiring medical professionals and the medical universities. This initiative will also expedite the production of vitally needed medical doctors across the country, addressing the current shortfall of 114,000 doctors needed in the Philippines to provide optimal healthcare. Currently, the country produces only 4,378 physicians a year.

Congresswoman Janette ‘Doc Nanay’ Garin reiterated this dire need as many other Members of Congress have filed measures to establish medical schools/ curriculum in their respective constituencies.