The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) has launched a new financial assistance program aimed at easing the cost of mandatory clinical and field-based training for students enrolled in allied health programs nationwide.

The Allied Health Experiential Assistance for Deserving Students (AHEAD) Grant was formally launched on May 25, to support students undergoing Related Learning Experience (RLE), which includes hospital rotations, internships, practicums, and community-based health placements required for graduation and licensure.

CHED said the initiative addresses the financial burden faced by students, as training-related expenses are often shouldered out of pocket and are not fully covered by existing scholarships.

“Pinaglaban po natin ito kasama si Senator Bam Aquino during the budget deliberations because we recognized that many of our students—especially in nursing and other allied health programs—ang napipilitang huminto o nahihirapang makapagpatuloy dahil sa mahal na gastusin para sa clinical training at internships (We fought for this together with Senator Bam Aquino during the budget deliberations because we recognized that many of our students—especially in nursing and other allied health programs—are being forced to stop or are struggling to continue due to the high cost of clinical training and internships),” CHED Chairperson Shirley C. Agrupis said.

Aquino said students are often required to shoulder substantial expenses despite being part of mandatory training programs.

“Kapag nag-RLE ang mga estudyante natin sa mga ospital, sila pa ang nagbabayad. RLE is anywhere from ₱20,000 to ₱80,000 pesos per year—mas malaki pa sa tuition fee nila (When our students undergo RLE in hospitals, they are the ones paying. RLE costs anywhere from ₱20,000 to ₱80,000 per year—higher than their tuition fees),” he said.

CHED said the ₱500-million program is expected to benefit about 19,000 students enrolled in 14 priority health programs, including nursing, medical technology, midwifery, physical therapy, occupational therapy, pharmacy, radiologic technology, respiratory therapy, nutrition and dietetics, speech-language pathology, public health, dentistry, optometry, and veterinary medicine.

The program is in line with the government’s Human Resources for Health Philippine Masterplan 2020–2040 and the Universal Health Care Act, which aim to strengthen and sustain the country’s healthcare workforce.

CHED encouraged higher education institutions and students to coordinate with their respective CHED regional offices for application guidelines and requirements.