SEN. Joel Villanueva, principal author and sponsor of the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, lauded the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd) for approving Bulacan State University's (BulSU) Doctor of Medicine program.

'Sa wakas! Tagumpay po ito hindi lamang ng mga Bulakenyo kundi ng lahat ng mga kababayan natin sa mga karatig lalawigan sa Central Luzon na nagnanais mag-aral ng kursong medisina (At last! This is a triumph not only for Bulacan people but also for residents in nearby provinces of Central Luzon who wish to pursue medicine),' said Villanueva.
Villanueva, who was instrumental in the inclusion of the Doctor of Medicine Program at BulSU, told The Manila Times that BulSU is the first state university and college (SUC) in Region 3 (Central Luzon) to be authorized by CHEd to offer the program.
On June 26, CHEd announced the green light of the application for government authority to operate the Doctor of Medicine programs of Bulacan State University and Don Mariano Marcos Memorial State University (DMMMSU) beginning this academic year 2024-2025.
DMMMSU will be the third SUC to offer the medicine program in the Ilocos Region.
'We started with eight SUCs in seven regions and now we have 22 SUCs offering the Doctor of Medicine program in 15 regions in the country,' Villanueva said.
The senator also reported that since the passage of the Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, the country's doctor to population ratio has increased to 3.7 doctors per 10,000 Filipinos from 2.64 doctors per 10,000 Filipinos.
'We are on the right track in achieving the World Health Organization's prescribed ratio of 10 doctors per 10,000 population,' Villanueva said. 'Our vision of making medical education accessible to aspiring doctors is becoming the country's reality day-by-day.'
Republic Act 11509 establishes a medical scholarship and return service program, which covers expenses such as tuition, allowances for books, uniform, transportation and accommodation, internship costs, medical board review and licensure examination fees. Scholars are required to render a return service equivalent to the years they received the scholarship.
The law also provides that after passing the physician licensure examination, the medical scholar shall be integrated into the public health and medical service system, through the Department of Health, and shall receive the appropriate civil service rank, salary and related benefits.