Every young, brilliant mind aspiring to be a doctor in Cebu now has the chance to fulfill that dream regardless of financial status.
Addressing the need for doctors in rural areas, the Cebu Normal University-Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (CNU-VSMMC) College of Medicine will be the first state-funded higher education institution offering a Doctor of Medicine degree in Central Visayas.
The proposed institution will provide free education to financially challenged but deserving students, offering them a 5-year double degree Doctor of Medicine Program with Masters in Public Health Governance. It will be situated inside the compound at the Medical Center’s Cancer Center of the VCMMC.
The Regional Development Council Central Visayas (RDC 7) has already approved the CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine, with the program planned to start on Academic Year 2021-2022 with 50 pioneering students.
“Allow the university to handle all academic aspects of the degree while the hospital will provide the training, instructions, and teaching support to the students.”- Evelyn Castro, SDC chairperson
The CNU and VSMMC entered into a consortium agreement following that:
CNU
- Degree-granting institution
- Approval, monitoring and evaluation of academic policies
- Quality assurance in program implementation
VSMMC
- Program implementation and other necessary operations
- Provides teaching and non-teaching practitioners from their team of consultants
- Provides physical plant and required facilities
The graduates will then be required to render five years of service to government health centers, especially the rural health units. In hopes that the degree holders will not only be competent in patient care but also as a transformative leader.
