Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa on Saturday (Oct. 19), urged the 3,845 passers of the recently conducted Physician Licensure Examination to join government service.

The number of qualified physicians represent 58.26 of the 6,600 examinees who took the state licensure examination administered by the Board of Medicine of the Professional Regulation Commission earlier this month.

The members of the Board of Medicine that conducted the licensure examination are Dr. Godofreda V. Dalmacion, Dr. Martha O. Nucum, Dr. Efren C. Laxamana, Dr. Joann Lucia Jr. (Inhibited).

“To all the new Filipino physicians who recently passed the Physicians Licensure Examinations 2024, my greetings and congratulations to you all,” Herbosa said in a statement.

He added: “Join us in government service at DOH. Let us do public health, health systems strengthening, health policy, health financing.”

The University of the Philippines-Manila produced four graduates in the top 10. Next came the University of Sto. Tomas with three alumni among the top placers while the Cebu Institute of Medicine had two.

Isaac Edron Jones Orig of the Davao Medical School Foundation topped the examination with a rating of 89.33. He was closely followed by University of Sto. Tomas bet Rolter Lorenz Mispeñas Lee who got 89.25 percent.

Other placers in the highest ten examinees: 3. Jerickson Rodney Ngo Cua, UP-Manila, 89.17; 4. Nijell Tiu Potencioso, CIT, 89.08; 5. Kiel Christian Dimaculangan Alday, UST, 88.83; 6. Ryan Delfin Parungao Encarnacion, UP-Manila, 88.33 and Martin Aaron Miranda Mamangon , UP-Manila, 88.33; 7. Frances Dominique Velasco Ho, UP-Manila, 88; 8. Anne Corine Arellano Ramos, Far Eastern University-Nicanor Reyes Medical Foundation, 87.83; 9. Christian Lloyd Ang Loo, CIT, 87.75 and 10. Cheseah Denise Hernandez Torres, UST, 87.67.

The examination was held in Metro Manila, Baguio City, Cagayan de Oro City, Cebu, Davao, Iloilo, Legazpi City, Lucena,City, Pampanga, Rosales City, Tacloban City, Tuguegarao and Zamboanga.

Herbosa said the new physicians may opt to join the Doctor to the Barrios program for underserved rural areas.

He added hat DOH-run hospitals also offer residency and specialization programs.

He urged them to help the government “build a health system Filipinos truly deserve.”

“Consider Family and Community Medicine, the doctors who will save lives at our BUCAS (Bagong Urgent Care and Ambulatory Service) centers, mobile primary care clinics, and in the PuroKalusugan program,” Herbosa said.