Solon: Study-for-work for med-tech students can solve manpower woes

MANILA, Philippines — A system where aspiring pharmacists, medical technology practitioners, and allied medical professionals are given scholarships in exchange for serving their respective areas may address the country’s manpower woes in this field, Parañaque Rep. Brian Raymund Yamsuan said.

In a statement on Tuesday, Yamsuan said that he has filed House Bill (HB) No. 7355 or the proposed Allied Health Scholarship and Service Act, to ensure that the country will have a steady supply of allied health workers.

According to the lawmaker, the country’s authorities might not realize it yet, but the country may soon face a healthcare crisis due to the “dwindling workforce.” Yamsuan said that the Private Sector Advisory Council (PSAC) said the country needs approximately 57,000 pharmacists, yet only 30,000 are practicing.

READ: New solution to PH lack of health workers eyed

“We may not notice or be aware of it, but we are facing a looming healthcare crisis owing to our dwindling workforce of radiologic technologists, pharmacists, midwives and other allied medical professionals,” he said.

“The support they deliver in terms of diagnostic, rehabilitation and technical services are indispensable to our healthcare system, especially in rural communities and other underserved areas,” he added.

Also, Yamsuan said that Republic Act No. 11223 or the Universal Health Care Act cannot be implemented without healthcare workers.

“We should act now to ensure that every Filipino has access to adequate, modern healthcare in the future. Hindi maipapatupad nang maayos ang ating Universal Health Care Program kung kulang ang mga doktor, nars at mga katuwang nila sa paghahatid ng serbisyong pangkalusugan,” he noted.

(We cannot properly implement our Universal Health Care Program if we lack doctors, nurses, and their partners in delivering healthcare services.)

If enacted, HB No. No. 7355 will establish the Allied Health Professional Scholarship and Return Service (AHPSRS) Program to extend support for qualified college students pursuing degrees in allied health programs inside state universities and colleges, local universities and colleges, or in partner private higher education institutions (HEIs).

The program will be implemented by the Commission on Higher Education (CHEd), the Department of Health (DOH), the Unified Student Financial Assistance System for Tertiary Education (UniFAST) Board, and the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC).

“These agencies shall coordinate in aligning financial grant slots with national health workforce needs, streamlining financial assistance mechanisms, and ensuring the proper regulation and deployment of the scholars,” the bill stated.

“In all cases, priority shall be given to qualified applicants from areas without adequate government health personnel, particularly those lacking allied health professionals,” it added.

Beneficiaries of the AHPSRS Program would have to meet the following criteria:

• a Filipino citizen residing in the Philippines
• belongs to one of the following categories:

           —graduating senior high school student

           —current college student           —incoming first-year college student who has been accepted into or is enrolled in a recognized

           —public or private HEI offering allied health courses included in the program

           —holder of a bachelor’s degree in another field who wishes to pursue a second degree in an allied health course covered by the program

• passed the entrance examination and complied with other related requirements for admission in the HEI where the student intends to enroll, along with other requirements of the CHED
• has good moral character

Benefits may range from free tuition and other school fees, allowance for prescribed books, supplies and equipment, clothing allowance, dormitory allowance or boarding house accommodation, transportation allowance, internship fees, medical and health insurance coverage, licensure exam subsidies, and other subsidies that the agencies may deem necessary.

READ: Law scholarships, 2 years gov’t service bill pushed

Once the scholar passes the PRC’s licensure examination, he or she is required to render one year of work in their communities per year of scholarship provided.

Scholars will then serve in either a “government public health office, government hospital, or any accredited government health facility in the scholar’s hometown.”

“In doing so, the measure aims to address both the scarcity and maldistribution of the allied-health workforce, guaranteeing that the program will ultimately strengthen our health systems, beginning with the country’s unserved and underserved areas, where the gaps are most critical,” Yamsuan said.

This is not the first time that Yamsuan has proposed the creation of a study-for-work system. Last October 2025, the lawmaker said that he had filed a bill seeking the provision of scholarships for law students in exchange for two years’ worth of service to government offices.

Yamsuan said this is also a bid to address the shortage of public attorneys in the country.

According to Yamsuan, his HB No. 5242 will help law students cope with expenses brought by studying, and at the same time help the government get its much-needed legal workforce. /cb