The newest scholarship program of the First Gentleman Foundation, Inc. in the Philippine General Hospital (PGH) is called the “Bagong Espesyalistang Doktor Para Sa Bayan”, or financial support for subspecialty fellows (general specialists who undergo another 1-3 years of subspecialization, eg., cardiology for heart diseases, nephrology for kidney diseases, neurology for brain and spinal cord diseases, endocrinology for diabetes, oncology for cancer, etc.). The unique selection criteria for “Bagong Espesyalista” include (1) a candidate without any identified funding support must have been admitted to any subspecialty that addresses one of the top 10 mortality/morbidity diseases of the country, (2) after the program, the candidate agrees to serve in the countryside for at least two years, and (3) a research, preferably community-based, is accomplished to further the cause of the subspecialty in the areas of disease management or discipline leadership.

The fellowship started in July 2007 with ten (10) subspecialty fellows admitted in six clinical departments/units, namely Pediatrics (Neonatology or Newborn Diseases, Developmental and Behavioral Diseases associated with developmental delay or retardation, Endocrinology); Obstetrics-Gynecology (Maternal and Fetal Medicine or Difficult Pregnancies, Oncology/Trophoblastic Diseases or Women’s Cancer); Internal Medicine (Endocrinology); Neurology (Epilepsy or Convulsive Disorders); Psychiatry (Consultation-Liaison); and Clinical Toxicology (Poisoning). Each fellow has a monthly stipend of Php20,000 and is entitled to other benefits as may be decided by the Board of Directors. The Department of Health (DOH) helps the finishers integrate with the regional medical centers, through Medical Specialist positions; on the other hand, the Association of Philippine Medical Schools (APMC) helps them affiliate with the school or college of Medicine closest to their areas of practice. These latter two privileges ensure sustained teaching and learning opportunities for these PGH-trained subspecialists.

Three (3) have finished their programs: (1) Dr. Marie Scent Vera Fopalan (Obstetrics-Gynecology, Maternal & Fetal Medicine) is deployed in Batangas Provincial Hospital, (2) Dr. Maria Suyen Magallanes (Obstetrics-Gynecology, Trophoblastic Disease) has been placed in Corazon Locsin Montelibano Memorial Regional Hospital in Bacolod, and (3) Dr. Rachelle Perez (Pediatrics, Neonatology) is now at the Ilocos Regional Training and Medical Center.

The second set of “Bagong Espesyalista” candidates will be screened shortly by the Board of Directors.

Funds from this project come from the private funds of the First Gentleman Foundation Inc., not from government funds.