Bill on med scholarships upholds Pinoys’ right to health: CHR

De Guia said investing in the education of future doctors is essential in upholding the right to health of all Filipinos and ensuring “universal access to health care.” (File photo: Hush Naidoo/Unsplash)

MANILA – The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) on Saturday expressed full support for the proposed measure to grant scholarships to aspiring doctors.

In a statement, CHR spokesperson Jacqueline de Guia said Senate Bill 1520, known as the “Doktor Para Sa Bayan Act”, and its counterpart measure in the House of Representatives, House Bill 6756 or the “Medical Scholarship and Return Service Program Act”, would address the shortage of doctors in the country, as shown during the prevailing coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) health crisis.

De Guia said investing in the education of future doctors is essential in upholding the right to health of all Filipinos and ensuring “universal access to health care.”

She said the pandemic has exposed the uneven distribution of the health workforce in the country.

“Medical workers and hospitals are concentrated in urban areas, which greatly disadvantages the rural communities,” de Guia said. “Through the proposed measure, we can expect more doctors to serve their own community and contribute to the improvement of health status, particularly in rural and remote areas.”

The CHR, she said, is hopeful that the measure would provide the vulnerable sectors with equal access to quality health services within their community.

“Ensuring the highest possible standard of health is among the primary state obligations. Doctors are at the heart of the efforts to fulfill the right to health of all,” de Guia said.

She also cited the need to ensure that medical graduates stay for good in the country by providing them with commensurate compensation, sufficient employment opportunities, quality health facilities, and other essential support.

“Allocating sufficient budget and investment for health care and medical practitioners shall redound to the health of all Filipinos and will prove beneficial in the long-term development of our nation,” de Guia said.