UP Manila, lawmakers launch health program for Homonhon scholars

UP Manila, in partnership with two lawmakers, is launching a program to train 25 scholars from Homonhon Island in Eastern Samar to become community health professionals.

This initiative, spearheaded by UP Manila's School of Health Sciences, aims to establish a sustainable and community-based health workforce for Homonhon Island.

The scholars will undergo an integrated educational track, preparing them to qualify as midwives, nurses, and potentially doctors.

House Minority Leader Marcelino Libanan and Eastern Samar Representative Christopher Sheen Gonzales will provide financial assistance, including allowances, to the selected students.

This program is seen as a transformative step towards improving public health services on the island, addressing the current challenge of long and often impossible travel times to mainland healthcare facilities for emergency cases.