SENATOR Juan Miguel ‘Migz’ Zubiri has filed a bill establishing the College of Medicine at the Sultan Kudarat State University.

In his Senate Bill 2682, or the proposed Sultan Kudarat State University College of Medicine Act, Zubiri said as the world slowly recovers from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Philippines is left to address the issues that were highlighted during its peak, the most pressing of which is the lack of health workers and allied medical professionals in the country.

The senator cited the recommendation of the World Health Organization that there should be one doctor for every 1,000 individuals to ensure the provision of adequate healthcare services.

“Still, as of 2022, data from the Department of Health shows that one doctor of medicine serves about forty thousand people in the country,” Zubiri said in his explanatory note.

He added that the government continuously endeavors to address this shortage by passing laws such as the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, which provides scholarships to students who wish to pursue a profession in the medical field.

The bill aims to bring quality medical education closer to aspiring students in the Mindanao region.

“This measure hopes that the establishment of medical schools in the region will attract and encourage more students to pursue the study of medicine and eventually join the country’s medical workforce,” he added.

The bill also hopes that the establishment of this medical school will pave the way for creating a center of excellence in the medical field in Mindanao.