In a press statement released on Sunday, CHED Chairperson Prospero De Vera disclosed that the SSU has been authorized to operate a Doctor of Medicine program.

The medical school is the 20th to be put up by government that will allow underprivileged students to become Doctor of Medicine.

“The expansion of medical education in Samar will facilitate the implementation of Republic Act No. 11509 or the Doktor Para sa Bayan law as there is no state college or university in Eastern Visayas where poor but deserving students can become doctors,” De Vera said.

SSU President Marilyn Cardoso welcomed the CHED decision and underscored the importance of putting up a Doctor of Medicine program as part of the university’s curriculum.

She described the approval as a “significant milestone” in the history of the university.

The CHED revealed that there about 2,600 scholars enrolled in private and public medical schools under the Doktor Para sa Bayan law. Upon graduation the government scholars will be assigned to practice in underserved areas as part of the scholarship grant agreement.

In a 2019 study conducted by the University of the Philippines Center for Integrative Studies on the shortage of doctors in the Philippines, it was revealed that medical schools throughout the country are only able to graduate 3,000 aspiring doctors annually.

It was also noted that most of medical students are concentrated in Metro Manila schools, with about 44 percent of all graduates coming from the National Capital Region.