The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday clarified that its pre-service scholarship program (PSSP) is no longer accepting scholars for the academic year 2024-2025.

The DOH made the statement after some Facebook pages continued to advertise the Health department's PSSP.

"Currently, the scholarships are being transitioned to the Commission on Higher Education who has the mandate of education assistance and support," the DOH advisory read.

PSSP aims to improve accessibility to quality healthcare services for the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable sectors of the country.

The program's goal is to ensure accessibility to quality healthcare services by the poor, marginalized, and vulnerable sectors of the country.

The objective of PSSP is to ensure an adequate supply of service-oriented human resources for health, ready for deployment in DOH priority areas.

Courses offered under the program are medical technology, pharmacy, and diploma in midwifery.

Preference will be given to applicants from the following backgrounds:

* Low-income families

* Geographically isolated and disadvantaged municipalities/provinces or from the top 20 poorest provinces/municipalities/cities

* Indigenous communities/minority sects

* Children/dependents of government employees, victims of calamity/tragedy, police/military personnel injured or fatally wounded while on duty,

* Barangay Health Workers/traditional birth attendants/individuals with chronic diseases

These criteria ensure that the program supports diverse individuals committed to serving their communities and addressing healthcare needs in the Philippines.