The Senate has unanimously approved on third and final reading the "Doktor Para sa Bayan" bill, which seeks the grant of full medical scholarships for aspiring Filipino doctors.

Senate Bill No. 1520 hurdled the Upper Chamber on Monday with 22 affirmative votes and no negative votes nor abstention.

The bill aims to address the lack of doctors serving the Philippines through a scholarship and return service program for qualified students. It also sought to improve access to medical education in the country, Senator Joel Villanueva, chairman of the Senate higher education committee, said.

"We are at war and the doctors are the combatants. Just as we train soldiers in peace time, so must we train more in times of war. So, let it be now, with doctors and physicians," Villanueva said.

"Unfortunately, we only have nine public medical schools in the country while medical education remains the most expensive course in the Philippines," he raised anew.

Under the proposed law, "poor and deserving" students will be given free medical education, which will cover their tuition fees and other school fees, as well as internship, review and licensure expenses.

"But we will also require them to render a return service, fitting and proper to the Filipino people, from medical doctors who were educated from the government’s coffers," Villanueva said.

Aside from the scholarships, the bill also includes the establishment of more public medical schools in various regions of the country by the Department of Health and the Commission on Higher Education.

Senate President Vicente Sotto III, principal author of the bill, said the passage of the bill is a timely response to the COVID-19 pandemic and other health crises.

"This measure comes at the most opportune time as our country continues to battle against the devastating health impacts of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). This law will help the healthcare system sector to be better prepared for similar health emergencies in the future," Sotto said in a statement.

Senator Juan Edgardo Angara, a co-author to the bill, also lauded the passage of the measure.

"At this time when our health system is facing so much pressure due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we need more doctors to attend to the growing needs of our kababayans (countrymen)," Angara said.

"We believe that our underprivileged but deserving students, who wish to provide for a better life for their families and to serve the country and its people as physicians, should be given the opportunity to do so. Because it is through their dedicated service that our healthcare system becomes more resilient, and gains a better chance of withstanding any pandemic," he added.