IN AN unprecedented move, three Tulfo lawmakers have jointly filed a bill seeking to establish a College of Medicine at the Polytechnic University of the Philippines in its Quezon City campus to address the shortage of medical doctors.

Quezon City Rep. Ralph Wendel Tulfo, and ACT-CIS party-list Representatives Jocelyn Tulfo and Erwin Tulfo proposed House Bill 9605 to help address the alarming lack of doctors in the country, especially in the National Capital Region.

“This bill seeks to lay the foundation for a comprehensive medical education program that encompasses cutting-edge medical training, research opportunities, and community engagement initiatives,” the authors said in the explanatory note of HB 9605.

They said the proposed College of Medicine in PUP-QC will also be tasked to provide scholarships and other affirmative action programs to assist financially challenged but deserving students who qualify for admission to the College without prejudice to scholarships, grants, and other financial assistance programs offered and sponsored by national and local government and private organizations.

“The establishment of a College of Medicine at the PUP-QC branch will serve as a transformative step towards producing a skilled and diverse workforce of medical practitioners who are not only academically competent but also deeply committed to serving the health needs of our communities,” the Tulfo legislators underscored.

Considering the willingness of the Quezon City government to support the establishment of a College of Medicine in PUP-QC, HB 9605 provides that the College shall enter an agreement with the Quezon City General Hospital to serve as its base hospital for the Doctor of Medicine Program.