THE medical education program that was developed for Indians is reportedly being offered for sale.

Advertisements that came out in newspapers in India claim that earning a degree in medicine is as easy as paying a certain amount to schools that offer the Bachelor of Medicine-Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), a program developed to ensure that Indian students graduating from the course will qualify for the screening test administered by the Medical Council of India (MCI).

However, Chairman Carlito Puno of the Commission on Higher Education (Ched) was quick to clarify that there is no truth to the report.

In an interview, Puno said that the report about the MBBS is “very unfair.”

“We are just wondering where that report came from, since the MBBS will be implemented in November yet,” Puno said, stressing that the commission is not likely to get involved in such scam at the expense of  the credibility of the education program designed specifically to meet the requirements of MCI.

Puno said that MBBS is part of the effort in promoting the higher education program in countries like China, Korea and India.

A photocopy of a print advertisement of a school in India, provided by Ched to the BusinessMirror, claimed that it is accredited in nine schools offering MBBS in the Philippines. Puno asked that the names of the schools be withheld.

Upon inquiry, Puno said that the schools mentioned in the advertisement denied any connection with that school in India.

Puno brushed aside doubts on the MBBS, saying that the negative publicity is just the product of unhealthy competition among medical schools in India.

He appealed to critics to spare the credibility of the medical education program being offered by the Philippines.

“That is all premature allegations…the program has yet to start, even the alleged existence of ‘diploma mills’ where they [Indian students] can enroll…that is very unfair,” Puno stressed. 

Earlier reports cited an article published in an Indian newspaper that quoted an account executive of Health Care International Management as saying, “There is no entrance test for admission, now will you need to attempt the screening test in return?”

Reports added that anybody who got 40 percent in Class XII examination and could afford to pay Rs16 lakhas, or about P1.6 million, could just go to the Philippines to earn the degree and return to India.

With the negative issue coming out on MBBS, the Puno said “it is still premature to worry” adding that “no less than the MCI stated that we are in order.”

Among the schools whose medical education programs are recognized by the MCI are the University of the Philippines, University of the East, Manila Central University, Davao Medical School Foundation and a university in Tarlac.

AN environmental group and a private company on Wednesday questioned the impending appointment of Aksiyon Demokratiko Rep. Edcel Lagman of Albay as head of the Committee on Appropriations for his alleged involvement in a questionable and suspicious $6-million air pollution monitoring project.

COTABATO CITY—Government security forces are set to serve on Thursday the arrest warrants against 130 Moro separatist rebelss accused of killing 14 Marines on July 10 in Basilan. Fourteen of the Marines were beheaded.

THE medical education program that was developed for Indians is reportedly being offered for sale.

ILOILO Vice Gov. Rolex Suplico on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to scrap the government’s deal with China’s ZTE Corp. to set up a US$330- million national broadband network (NBN) for being unconstitutional. 

THE US government said initial investigation “found no evidence” that foreign workers, including 51 Filipinos, were being trafficked and forced to work at the construction of the US Embassy in Iraq.

CONTINUING threats of terrorism, increased radicalization in the region and potential use of weapons of mass destruction by terrorists dominated the discussions of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) and their dialogue partners at the Asean Post-Ministerial Meeting on Wednesday.

ENVIRONMENT Secretary Lito Atienza on Wednesday vowed to replicate his “Buhayin ang Maynila” program with “Buhayin ang Kalikasan, Buhayin ang Pilipinas” as he accepted what he described as an “overwhelming challenge” of being the chief steward of the country’s environment and natural resources.

WASHINGTON is firm in its stand to maintain military forces in Iraq amid the calls of the foreign ministers of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (Asean) for the phased and calibrated withdrawal of foreign military forces in that country.