Doctors play an important role in caring for the health and well-being of people in every community. To encourage Filipino students to pursue a Doctor of Medicine degree, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) introduced the Medical Scholarship and Return Service (MSRS) Program.
Based on R.A. 11509 or the “Doctor Para sa Bayan Act,” the MSRS is a full medical education scholarship program. Upon completing their degree, scholars are expected to serve in government health facilities for a period equal to the number of years they benefited from the scholarship program.
Program Benefits
The program supports scholars through tuition and school fees, subsidy and allowances, internship program allowances, and other benefits.
- Tuition and Other School Fees (TOSF). For those enrolled in State Universities and Colleges (SUCs), the program provides actual TOSF subsidy to scholars. This is paid directly to the SUC. Meanwhile, for those in Private Higher Education Institutions (PHEIs), actual TOSF subsidy up to PHP 100,000/semester is provided. The balance shall be provided by the PHEI as counterpart fund.
- Subsidy and Allowances. Every academic year, scholars in both SUCs and PHEIs will receive: Book Allowance PHP 26,000; Clothing/Uniform Allowance PHP 7,000; Miscellaneous Allowance PHP 12,000; Living Subsidy PHP 60,000; Lodging Allowance PHP 60,000; and Transportation Allowance PHP 12,000.
- Internship Program/5th Year Medicine. During their internship or 5th year, scholars will receive: Living Subsidy PHP 60,000; Lodging Allowance PHP 60,000; Transportation Allowance PHP 12,000; and One-time Board/Licensure Examination Review and Application Fees PHP 16,000.
- Insurance Benefits. Scholars will be enrolled under the Philippine Health Insurance Corporation (PHIC), to be paid quarterly by CHED. They will also be entitled to Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) Accident Insurance, to be paid annually by CHED.
Eligibility
To qualify for the program, an applicant must:
- Be a Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines;
- Be a graduating student or a graduate of an appropriate undergraduate program identified as a prerequisite for a Doctor of Medicine degree;
- Be currently enrolled in a Doctor of Medicine degree program from any HEI duly recognized by CHED;
- Have obtained a National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) score mandated by CHED and required by the SUC/PHEI; and
- Have passed the entrance exams and complied with other related requirements for admission into a Doctor of Medicine degree program in a participating SUC/PHEI.
Requirements
Interested applicants must prepared the following general and specific requirements:
General
- Proof of Filipino citizenship, such as a certified true copy of Birth Certified issued by the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA);
- Certificate of Good Moral Character; and
- Additional requirements for priority groups (if applicable): (a) Certificate of Residency issued by the barangay; (b) Certificate as member of indigenous people group issued by the National Commission on Indigenous Peoples (NCIP); (c) Tax Exemption/Tax Declaration from Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR); (d) Social Case Study signed by a registered social worker; (e) Certificate issued by the Municipal Health Office (MHO) that the applicant is a dependent of community health volunteer; OR (f) Certificate from the Local Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Office (LDRRMO) or Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) that the applicant is from a calamity- or conflict-prone area.
Specific
- Certificate of Acceptance from SUC/PHEI; and
- Affidavit of no existing scholarship grant.
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Application Process
Below is a brief overview of the application process for the program:
- The student submits an application to the CHED Regional Office.
- The CHED Regional Office accepts and evaluates the applications, before ranking qualified applicants. Applicants are ranked based on several criteria, including: annual gross income, affiliation, General Weighted Average (GWA), National Medical Admission Test (NMAT) result, etc.
- CHED’s Office of Student Development and Services (OSDS) validates the rank list and approves the list of qualified beneficiaries.
For more information about the MSRS program, visit the CHED official website.
Thanks to the MSRS program, aspiring doctors have the opportunity to gain a Doctor of Medicine degree. Upon graduation, they will be assigned to serve in government-run clinics and hospitals, thereby benefiting the Filipino people, and the country as a whole.
Speaking of scholarships, another program available to Filipino students is the Information Technology Training Program (ITTP). Visit this link for more details about this program.