The Northern Samar provincial government has welcomed 10 new medical scholars, joining the growing number of aspiring physicians supported by the province.
Governor Harris Ongchuan said in a statement on Thursday that the 10 newest grantees of the Medical Scholarship Program (MSP) signed their scholarship contracts on Sept. 30, 2025, at the provincial capitol.
“We eagerly look forward to having them with us in serving the public when they become doctors. The province needs doctors, so our call always is to serve with a heart,” Ongchuan said.
The MSP entitles the grantees to up to a PHP340,000 benefit package per year and employment in the provincial government after a successful physician licensure examination.
The program, introduced in 2020 by then-Governor Edwin Ongchuan, has already produced five doctors of medicine assigned to different hospitals within Northern Samar.
It has admitted a total of 37 medical scholars since its inception, including the 10 new medical scholars for this school year, the 6th batch and the highest number admitted to the program, according to the provincial government.
As provincial medical scholars, the aspiring doctors are entitled to a PHP100,000 tuition fee per semester, a PHP35,000 stipend, a PHP30,000 book allowance, and a PHP5,000 uniform allowance. (PNA)
