'DOKTOR PARA SA BAYAN'. Senate President Vicente Sotto III (second from left) receives a certificate from Cebu Normal University president Joselito Gutierrez and CNU-Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center College of Medicine dean Dr. Ma. Socorro Manaloto, commending his effort for the realization of the Doktor Para sa Bayan program under Republic Act 11509 during his dialogue with the faculty members at CNU in Cebu City on Thursday (April 7, 2022). The program will offer Doctor of Medicine course to deserving students who will undergo a return of service for four to five years after passing the licensure examination. (PNA photo by John Rey Saavedra) CEBU CITY - Vice presidential aspirant and Senate President Vicente Sotto III on Thursday said fast-tracking the free Doctor of Medicine program will put "more doctors in the country, more than lawyers". Sotto, who authored the Republic Act 11509, also known as Doktor Para sa Bayan Act, that establishes a medical scholarshi
VOLUNTEERS. The 40 healthcare workers from the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center in Cebu City pose for a photo opportunity before boarding the Philippine Coast Guard vessel bound for Siquijor on Monday (Oct. 25, 2021). The DOH-run regional hospital said the 40 medical front-liners volunteered to augment the existing healthcare workforce in Siquijor, an island province in Central Visayas reeling with the recent hike in Covid-19 cases. (Photo courtesy of VSMMC) CEBU CITY - A Department of Health-run regional hospital here is sending 40 volunteer healthcare workers to the island-province of Siquijor to augment the resident's healthcare needs amid the rise in the number of coronavirus cases. In a statement, the Vicente Sotto Memorial Medical Center (VSMMC) said the hospital management, led by Dr. Gerardo Aquino Jr., has worked with the DOH-Region 7 in sending Cebu-based healthcare workers to augment the number of medical front-liners. "After VSMMC augmented healthcare needs in