Commission on Higher Education Chairman Prospero De Vera III (Screen grab/Senate PRIB)
MANILA, Philippines— The medical board exams this September should push through as the country needs more health workers in its battle against the COVID-19 pandemic, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) said Tuesday.
CHED chairperson Prospero De Vera made the statement in the face of calls from a group of medical graduates to postpone the September Physicians Licensure Examination (PLE) following the increase in COVID-19 cases across the country.
“Yan ay desisyon ng licensing units pero doon sa konsultasyon natin, bagamat merong gustong mag-postpone, marami ring gustong ituloy kasi madaming gusto nang makatapos e. So you have to balance all the sentiments of the different sector,” De Vera said in a televised briefing when sought for comment over the students’ clamor.
(That’s the decision of the licensing units but in our consultations, while there are those who want to postpone the exams, many of them also want to push through because they want to finish their studies already. So you have to balance all the sentiments of the different sectors.)
“Ang importante naman ay dapat ligtas yoon yung kukuha ng examination. At kailangan ipagpatuloy ito kasi merong mga estudyante na gusto makatapos, maghanapbuhay at saka kailangan natin ng additional healthcare workers dahil sa COVID. We have to continue to produce more doctors,” he added.
(What’s important is that those who will take the examination are safe. And it should proceed because there are students who want to finish their studies already, work and we also need additional healthcare workers because of COVID. We have to continue to produce more doctors.)
According to the Professional Regulation Commission, the PLE is set on September 11, 12, 18, and 19.