TACLOBAN CITY — Eastern Samar is one step closer to establishing its first medical school after the House of Representatives approved a bill creating a state-run college of medicine at Eastern Samar State University (ESSU).

House Minority Leader and 4Ps Partylist Representative Marcelino Libanan, a co-author of the bill, said the measure aims to strengthen medical education and healthcare services throughout Eastern Visayas. 

The bill, also authored by Eastern Samar Representative Christopher Sheen Gonzales, passed its third and final reading this week.

Libanan said the establishment of the ESSU College of Medicine is a precursor to a larger vision: the creation of the province’s first teaching hospital.

“Our vision is to eventually establish a teaching hospital alongside the new ESSU College of Medicine,” Libanan said in a statement.

Unlike traditional community hospitals that focus primarily on patient care, a teaching hospital serves as a dual-purpose facility where students in medicine, nursing, and midwifery can train under the supervision of experienced doctors while conducting medical research.

The ESSU system currently serves nearly 25,000 students across its main campus in Borongan and satellite locations in Can-avid, Guiuan, Maydolong, and Salcedo.

The university already operates a College of Nursing and Allied Sciences, which Libanan noted has a track record of high passing rates in licensure examinations.

If signed into law, the new college will expand the university’s academic footprint, which also includes extension units in Balangiga and Arteche. 

Officials believe the local medical school will help address the shortage of healthcare professionals in the region by training doctors who are more likely to remain and practice in the province.