𝐏𝐑𝐀𝐂𝐓𝐈𝐂𝐄-𝐁𝐀𝐒𝐄𝐃 𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐘 𝐏𝐑𝐎𝐆𝐑𝐀𝐌 𝐋𝐀𝐔𝐍𝐂𝐇𝐄𝐃 𝐓𝐎 𝐑𝐄𝐓𝐀𝐈𝐍 𝐂𝐀𝐏𝐈𝐓𝐎𝐋 𝐃𝐎𝐂𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐒
After securing a steady pipeline of physicians for Capitol-run hospitals through scholarship grants with return-of-service agreements, the Cebu Provincial Government is now addressing one of the key reasons doctors leave its facilities.
“Younger doctors normally want to go to the residency program. Mao ni usa sa mga rason nganong wala kaayo moadto sa atong district hospitals because some doctors would want to go to residency programs,” said Dr. Gerardo Aquino, chief of Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC), during a press briefing at the Capitol on February 18.
He was joined by Cebu Governor Pamela Baricuatro; Cebu Normal University (CNU) President Dr. Laurence Garcia, CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine Dean Jarungchai Vatanagul, and Capitol Piso Health Consultant Dr. Nikki Catalan.
Residency is a paid postgraduate training program that provides medical graduates with specialized, hands-on experience under attending physicians. Lasting three to seven years, it marks the critical transition from trainee to independent practitioner.
𝗙𝗔𝗠𝗜𝗟𝗬 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗖𝗜𝗡𝗘’𝗦 𝗣𝗥𝗔𝗖𝗧𝗜𝗖𝗘-𝗕𝗔𝗦𝗘𝗗 𝗥𝗘𝗦𝗜𝗗𝗘𝗡𝗖𝗬 𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗠
Recognizing this gap, the provincial government developed a solution allowing doctors assigned to any of the 16 Capitol-run provincial and district hospitals to pursue residency training without leaving their posts.
Through a partnership with Department of Health Central Visayas, VSMMC, and the CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine, a practice-based Family Medicine residency program will enable physicians serving in provincial hospitals to receive formal residency instruction while remaining in active service.
Governor Baricuatro sealed the agreement during a signing ceremony with DOH-7 Regional Director Dr. Joshua Brillantes, Dr. Aquino, and Dr. Garcia at the Capitol on February 14.
“This would encourage our doctors to finish their residency through this practice-based residency program. They won’t miss out on residency training as our VSMMC doctors and consultants will be going to them where they are assigned and assess their progress,” Dr. Aquino said, stressing that their work experience will be credited under the residency program.
𝗪𝗜𝗡-𝗪𝗜𝗡 𝗦𝗢𝗟𝗨𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡
Dr. Catalan said the program can be availed of not only by current Capitol doctors but also by future scholars completing their return-of-service in the coming years.
“Kon ang atong generalist physician gets a specialization, especially kining Family Medicine, which is more geared towards primary care, it’s very in-line with Universal Healthcare. Plus, higher pod ang level of care ilang mahatag. So it’s a win-win gyud overall for us,” she said.
The initiative further strengthens the Capitol’s scholarship pathway for future physicians enrolled at the CNU-VSMMC College of Medicine, Cebu’s only state-funded medical school.
“Dili gyud sila dehado. Pinangga kaayo ang graduates namo nga aside gipaskwela sila through the scholarship grants, naa silay trabaho after they pass the licensure exam at the Capitol-run hospitals, ug sure pa gyod nga ma-specialist gyod sila under the practice-based residency program,” Dr. Garcia added.
‘𝗣𝗟𝗔𝗡𝗧𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗦𝗘𝗘𝗗𝗦’
The programs—Capitol scholarships for medical students and practice-based residency training for Capitol doctors—are not merely ceremonial agreements but structural interventions addressing deeper manpower sustainability issues, Dr. Catalan said.
“We are building pipelines, strengthening institutional partnerships, and creating professional growth pathways within the provincial system itself,” she noted.
“This is Gov. Pam planting seeds: investing in people, investing in training, and investing in a healthcare system that will stand strong to serve Cebuanos during and beyond her time,” she added.
The program’s success rests on the strong partnership between CNU and VSMMC, which formed a consortium to establish the VSMMC College of Medicine—Cebu’s first and only state-funded medical school dedicated to producing more service-oriented doctors.
“CNU is an academic institution of excellence. VSMMC is an institution of clinical excellence. Nindot kaayo ni siya nga pagminyo sa duha ka institutions of academic and clinical excellence. It is a match made in heaven,” Dr. Vatanagul said.
𝗦𝗖𝗛𝗢𝗟𝗔𝗥𝗦𝗛𝗜𝗣 𝗔𝗣𝗣𝗟𝗜𝗖𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗦
Applications for the Capitol scholarship program opened in February and will run until June, with classes set to begin in July. For 2026, 41 slots have been opened, to compliment the school’s need requirement for 50 students.
Admission and scholarship requirements include a four-year college degree, Cebu Province residency, a qualifying general weighted average, National Medical Admission Test results, interview, and entrance examination.
Preference is also given to applicants from Cebu local government units with critical doctor shortages, as scholars will later render return-of-service in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas. /𝑪𝑨𝑷𝑰𝑻𝑶𝑳 𝑷𝑰𝑶, 𝑷𝒉𝒐𝒕𝒐𝒔 𝒃𝒚 𝑨𝑺𝑪
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