‘Mistaken priorities’

AFTER the Senate “rushed” the passage of the ‘Medical Scholarship Bill’ that Congress believed would greatly aid the country in better dealing another round of pandemic that comes our way, Senate Pro Tempore Ralph Recto is absolutely right in expressing his dismay—and alarm—that everything would be in vain.

This, after it came to the Senate’s attention that the Palace wants to halve the proposed P167 million in financial subsidy for our 1,789 “medical scholars” or to only P83.5 million.

If this was not bad enough, Recto, quoting the CHED, said that not one centavo of the same P167 million allocated for this year had been released by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) after this was “impounded” for “later release.”

“So, embargoed ngayon, ‘cut’ bukas,” was how accurately Rector described the situation.

Currently, eight state colleges and universities are involved in the effort to produce as many doctors and medical professionals as soon as possible, namely:
Bicol University, Cagayan State University, Mariano Marcos State University, Mindanao State University, University of Northern Philippines, UP Manila College of Medicine, UP Manila School of Health Sciences, and, Western Visayas State University.

The CHED scholarship program is but one of the tracks the Congress–approved bill creates in producing doctors whose services are needed in the provinces, of which only 25 out of 81 have enough public doctors.

Another program is run by the Department of Health (DOH), which had 1,142 scholars in various medical schools last year.

Under the program, beneficiaries shall “repay” their state-granted tuition and allowances by serving in rural areas after passing the board examinations.

But over the way the government is skewering its priorities, we are not actually “investing for the future.”

I agree, in this very difficult period, some hard decisions have to be made, what with little real money to go around.

But if we have learned a lesson or two from the COVID-19 pandemic it should be this: it is always wrong to forego investment in our human capital, especially those engaged in health care and specialized skills.

For when the moment of need arrives, it is only then we realize the gravity of our mistaken priorities.