Lawmakers have approved on third and final reading a measure seeking to establish a College of Medicine at Eastern Samar State University, a move supporters say could help address the shortage of doctors and healthcare workers in Eastern Visayas.
The proposed school, which will operate under House Bill No. 8626, aims to offer a Doctor of Medicine program at the university’s main campus in Borongan City.
The bill was principally authored by House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan together with Eastern Samar Representative Christopher Sheen Gonzales.
If enacted into law, the school would become the first state-run medical college in Eastern Samar, a province that continues to face limited access to healthcare services and medical professionals.
Advocates of the bill said the measure could encourage more students from rural communities to pursue medicine without leaving the region.
According to lawmakers, the proposed medical school would also pave the way for the creation of a teaching hospital in the province.
Such facilities are typically linked to medical schools and serve both as training grounds for future health workers and centers for patient care and research.
The measure comes amid continuing concerns over the uneven distribution of physicians in the country, particularly in remote provinces.
Data cited by supporters of the bill showed that many rural areas remain underserved despite increasing healthcare demands.
ESSU currently has nearly 25,000 students and more than 700 faculty members across its campuses in Borongan City, Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, and Salcedo, along with extension units in Balangiga and Arteche.
The university already operates a College of Nursing and Allied Sciences, whose graduates have posted strong performances in licensure examinations in recent years.
The bill will next move through the legislative process before it can be signed into law.
Once approved, university officials and local leaders are expected to begin planning for facilities, faculty recruitment, and accreditation requirements for the new medical program.
(Joyce Kahano- Alpino)
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