The Cebu provincial government may provide up to P150,000 in annual financial assistance to qualified medical students in exchange for their commitment to serve in public healthcare facilities after graduation.
The proposed Cebu Provincial Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program is currently under consideration by the Sangguniang Panlalawigan (SP), following its first reading during the provincial board’s regular session on Oct. 26, 2026.
Second District Board Member Stanley S. Caminero authored the measure, which was referred to the committees on Laws, Education and Public Health for review.
The proposed scholarship would support eligible students pursuing a Doctor of Medicine degree under the Cebu Normal University-Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine Consortium (CNU-VSMMC-COMC).
The consortium links Cebu Normal University and Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center through an academic and clinical partnership coordinated by the College of Medicine’s dean or head.
Applicants would be assessed based on their academic qualifications, financial circumstances, geographical considerations, the healthcare needs of their communities and willingness to enter public service.
In return for the provincial government’s financial support, scholars would be required to serve in government healthcare facilities after completing their medical education. Each academic year covered by the scholarship would correspond to one year of required public service.
Possible assignments include province-owned hospitals, rural health units, city health offices, public health programs and other government healthcare facilities across Cebu.
The proposed program seeks to address the province’s need for more physicians in public health facilities while helping students with limited access to scholarship opportunities.
The measure must still undergo committee deliberations and the remaining legislative process before the provincial government can implement the scholarship program.
📷 Psychology Today
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