The Ministry of Health – Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (MOH-BARMM) has sealed a memorandum of agreement (MOA) with a medical school in Davao City for a scholarship program to address the possible scarcity of doctors in the region in the future.

“We could not predict the future. We have to be practical (in) matters like this,” MOH-BARMM Minister, Dr. Bashary Latiph, told reporters here in an interview on Saturday.

On Friday, Noraina Kamid, a registered nurse and coordinator of the MOH-BARMM scholarship program, represented Latiph in the MOA signing with Rev. Oliver Paraiso of the Brokenshire College of Medicine at the school’s main building in Davao City.

The MOA covers financial assistance to the current six medical students from the Bangsamoro Region.

Each student will have free tuition and other expenses covered by the BARMM government while studying medicine at the Brokenshire school.

“We acknowledge that this MOA is the first step towards the increase of health care professionals for the BARMM,” Latiph said in his message online during the MOA signing activity.

He added that the MOH-BARMM maintains its slogan “Serbisyong Medikal Damhin” as it pushes for better health services in the region. (PNA)