THE SECOND Congressional Commission on Education (EDCOM 2) has released a sweeping assessment of the country’s healthcare sector, warning of a massive workforce deficit that threatens the delivery of essential health services nationwide.

In its final report, Turning Point: A Decade of Necessary Reform 2026–2035, the Commission revealed that the Philippines currently has only 21.2 healthcare workers for every 10,000 people—less than half of the 44.5 ratio recommended by the World Health Organization.

Without immediate and strategic intervention, the country could face a shortage of around 290,000 healthcare professionals needed to adequately serve the population.

EDCOM 2’s analysis points to a leaky education pipeline that fails to produce enough healthcare professionals to offset migration and attrition.

An estimated 56 percent of students entering healthcare degree programs—around 33,000 individuals annually—do not make it into the workforce. The losses stem from high dropout rates, estimated at about 15,000 students per year, and low licensure examination pass rates, with roughly 11,000 graduates failing board exams annually out of about 26,000 examinees.

As a result, the system produces only about 32,000 licensed graduates each year—nearly equal to the estimated 27,000 healthcare professionals who leave the country annually.

The report also highlights that healthcare education remains heavily concentrated in private institutions and urban centers, limiting access for students in the provinces. Of the 80 schools offering medical programs nationwide, only 28 are public universities. Entire regions, including Region 10 and the Cordillera Administrative Region, still lack a public medical university.

To address these inequities, the Commission is calling for the aggressive expansion and stronger implementation of the Doktor Para Sa Bayan Act (Republic Act 11509).

EDCOM 2’s Workforce Development Plan estimates that to meet ideal healthcare worker density levels, the country needs an additional 94,000 doctors and 196,000 nurses, along with significant numbers of midwives and allied health professionals.

Regions such as BARMM, MIMAROPA, and Regions IV-A, V, XII, and XIII are operating with fewer than 15 healthcare workers per 10,000 residents—far below national and global benchmarks.

The Commission emphasized that resolving the healthcare deficit requires a systemic shift from a supply-driven education model to one aligned with labor market demands. It urged the Department of Health, the Commission on Higher Education, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority to harmonize efforts in expanding scholarships, upgrading training facilities, and revising restrictive licensure policies that limit qualified professionals from entering the workforce.