By Ellson Quismorio Deputy Majority Leader, Bagong Henerasyon Party-List Rep. Bernadette Herrera has encouraged the Filipino youth to pursue medical careers to help ease the shortage of health professionals further worsened by the ongoing coronavirus disease COVID-19 pandemic. “If we are to strengthen the country’s health care system to make it more effective in responding to any pandemic threats in the future, we need to have more doctors, nurses, and other medical professionals on the frontlines,” Herrera said. She said the Philippines badly needs more doctors and nurses to replenish the medical workforce. “To make sure we will not run out of doctors and nurses, we need to encourage young Filipinos to consider a career in health care and be the next generation of heroes and champions of public health,” she added. Herrera pointed out that the country was already suffering from a perennial shortage in health professionals even before it was hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. She said the shortage will only get worse because according to the Department of Health (DOH), a dozen medical workers have died of COVID-19 while over 200 doctors and nurses have tested positive for the disease. The Philippine Medical Association (PMA) said 17 doctors have succumbed to COVID-19. The Philippines has a ratio of one doctor for every 33,000 patients. This is significantly lower than the global average of 1:6,000. The PMA said there are a total of 130,000 licensed physicians in the country but only around 70,000 are active in the profession since a good number of them turned to nursing and working abroad where the pay is higher. Scholarships Since pursuing a medical degree is proven to be expensive, Herrera said that students may avail of several scholarship programs offered by both the government and the private sector. Herrera cited the DOH Medicine Scholarship Program, which covers all four years of medical education, including summer immersion programs prior to the second and third years of medicine, and one year of post-graduate internship. The program also covers all four years of a Bachelor of Science in Midwifery. In return, scholars will be expected to work for two years in public health for every year of schooling shouldered by the Health department. The DOH gives priority to prospective students from low-income families, from geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas or from the country’s 20 poorest municipalities and cities, and from indigenous communities or the national minorities, dependents of government employees and active police and military personnel, victims of calamities, barangay health workers, and traditional birth attendants. The Commission on Higher Education provides tuition subsidy and financial assistance to all medical students enrolled in eight state universities and colleges offering Doctor of Medicine Program, including the University of the Philippines in Manila and Leyte, Herrera said. She said students may also avail of scholarships offered at top private medical schools, such as the William H. Quasha Memorial at St. Luke’s College of Medicine, University of the East-Ramon Magsaysay Memorial Medical Center Inc. Scholarship Programs, and Romeo P. Ariniego Scholarship for Medical Education at Silliman University in Dumaguete City.