(Graphics by Chubi | Amaranth)
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. officially signed into law House Bill 7412, which will establish Visayas State University’s (VSU) very own College of Medicine—one of the first public medical schools in the region, along with three other state universities in the country, December 27, 2023.
Republic Act no. 11974 will formally mandate the offering of a Doctor of Medicine Program under VSU’s College of Medicine, including an Integrated Liberal Arts and Medicine program, which will consist of basic science and clinical courses that will use a learner-centered, competency-based, and community-oriented approach.
“The primary goal of the College shall be to develop a corps of professional physicians to help strengthen the healthcare system of the country, as well as to respond to human resource development needs of the Province of Leyte and Region VIII,” the law stated.
Further, RA 11974 also orders the college to undertake research and extension services and provide progressive leadership.
On its Facebook page, VSU expressed its gratitude to Leyte 5th District Congressman Carl Cari for sponsoring the bill, leading to the enactment of the law.
“Under Republic Act No. 11974…, we can strengthen the country's healthcare system by catering to our future healthcare professionals, as well as to further address the medical needs of the Filipino people,” Cong. Cari said in another Facebook post.
Moreover, VSU also thanked its former University President Dr. Edgardo Tulin after doing the essential preparations for the implementation of the medical program in the institution.
Dr. Tulin has been actively involved in several benchmarking visits around the top medical schools in the Philippines to assist in the offering of the medicine degree at VSU.
Furthermore, Pres. Marcos Jr. also approved RA 11970, RA 11971, and RA 11972, which will also establish medical programs in Benguet State University (BSU), Southern Luzon State University (SLSU), and the University of Eastern Philippines (UEP), respectively.
VSU and UEP are the first state universities in Eastern Visayas that are set to advance medical education in the region and the country. You can find the official executive issuance here: https://www.officialgazette.gov.ph/2023/12/20/republic-act-no-11974/