MANILA – The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila on Tuesday secured the approval of the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to reopen limited face-to-face education at the Colleges of Medicine, Nursing, and Physical Therapy.
PLM initiated the process in February, starting with online consultations with students, parents, faculty, and practicing doctors at the Ospital ng Maynila to gauge the reception of stakeholders to the idea of returning to hands-on learning.
CHED officials visited the PLM campus in April to assess the school’s preparedness and the observance of minimum health standards in classrooms. The authority to conduct limited face-to-face classes will last until the first semester of academic year 2021-2022.
With the CHED’s clearance, students may now proceed with their hands-on medical clerkship, a requirement for graduation from the College of Medicine.
Meanwhile, the College of Nursing and the College of Physical Therapy are finalizing their plans on which laboratory courses will be offered on a limited face-to-face classes after more than a year since the COVID-19 lockdowns started.
In January, the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases gave the authority to local government officials to approve any requests for the resumption of face-to-face classes for medicine and health-related courses in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. Manila Mayor Francisco “Isko Moreno” Domagoso earlier approved the resumption of limited physical classes for the medical schools of other universities and colleges within the city.“
We thank CHED for allowing our medical students to return to hands-on learning. This will allow PLM to do its part in reinforcing the health care frontlines and ensures that our future doctors and nurses will be equipped with the proper training as they join our brave health workers in healing fellow Filipinos,” President Leyco said.
Doctors, nurses, and medical staff have been bravely manning the front lines of the country’s battle against the coronavirus. The country saw a resurgence in infections as new COVID-19 variants emerge while vaccines remain limited.
University faculty members have assured that utmost care and protection will be given to students who will return to face-to-face learning, adding that those who will fulfill rotation duty at the Ospital ng Maynila will be provided with RT-PCR tests and prioritized for COVID-19 vaccination.|
(Photos taken during the CHED campus inspection in April 2021)
