Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino (Senate PRIB)

Citing the shortage of doctors in the country, Senator Francis "Tol" Tolentino said it’s about time that colleges and universities being run by local government units (LGUs) put up their own medical schools.

Tolentino, chairman of the Senate Blue Ribbon Committee, emphasized that localities in urban areas outside Metro Manila should have their own hospitals so that their residents would not solely depend on existing regional medical facilities.

He also noted that new hospitals would only function properly if they have enough doctors on their roster.

Tolentino, who used to chair the Senate Committee on Local Government during previous the 18th Congress, cited the Batangas State University (BSU) as a primary example.

He said the institution has already begun its own medical school program.

Last Thursday, Tolentino led the groundbreaking of the new hospital that would soon rise at what is now the Vicente Mendiola Center for Health Infirmary located in Cebu province’s southern city of Naga.

The senator also urged local government officials to prioritize the health services in their respective localities.