TACLOBAN CITY – The national government has allocated P186 million for scholarship grants aimed at helping financially challenged Filipinos pursue a Doctor of Medicine degree in state universities and colleges (SUCs), House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan said Monday.
Libanan said the funding for the Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program was included in the 2026 General Appropriations Law to support deserving students, particularly those from underserved and low-income communities.
He noted that the program also seeks to address the shortage of doctors in remote and impoverished areas by encouraging scholars to serve in communities where medical professionals are most needed.
The scholarship program is available in at least 25 SUCs nationwide, including Samar State University-Samar Island Institute of Medicine and the University of the Philippines School of Health Sciences.
Priority applicants include students from low-income families, geographically isolated areas, indigenous communities, and provinces with low doctor-to-population ratios.
Applicants must be Filipino citizens, graduates or graduating students of pre-med courses, and must meet the required National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) qualifications.
(LIZBETH ANN A. ABELLA)
