University of the City of Manila College of Medicine, Philippines

The Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine was established in June, 1983 with 48 medical scholars by virtue of Resolution No. 806, series 1980, passed on December 15, 1980 by the Board of Regents. It was envisioned from its conception that the College of Medicine will offer a unique, community-based medical education that will serve the health needs of the people of the city of Manila particularly those residing in depressed barangays as primary care physicians.

At the start, the program was on a full scholarship basis for poor but deserving Manila residents who have finished a premedicine course and have met the necessary requirements.

Three years after its beginning, the College of Medicine opened its doors to qualified non-Manila residents under the socialized curriculum where their tuition fees were based on their parents’ income. This marked the beginning of the classification of freshmen students having scholarships where the tuition and miscellaneous fees were either minimal or free.

Eventually another category was included for those students paying the full amount.

On the fourth year of its operation, the College of Medicine opened the Community Medicine Residency Training program in line with its objective to provide medical care to the underserved of Manila. This enabled its students under the scholarship programs to render service.

After graduation, the medical graduates were assigned to Ospital ng Maynila Medical Center or other hospitals as intern (PGI). After they have passed the Medical Board Examinations and have obtained their license to practice, they were to serve the city for four years either as resident physicians at any other hospital owned and operated by the City of Manila, as faculty members at the College of Medicine or as a regular employee at the Manila Health Department (MHD).

In the following years, the community service program as a manner of giving back to the city of Manila underwent modification to suit the needs of the university and the other communities within the city of Manila including our very own university.

To further enhance the development of the students and faculty of the college with regards to training and research particularly in the field of Community Medicine, the College of Medicine became a member of the Association of Philippine Medical Colleges Foundation (APMC), International Network Community-Oriented Educational Institutions for Health Services (based in Holland), Metro Manila Health Science Community and Philippine Council for Health Research Development. It was also affiliated with the following institutions: the University of Indonesia, the Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, the University of Nebraska at Omaha Medical Center in the USA, and the San Lazaro Hospital.

Through the years the Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila College of Medicine has gained recognition and respect as one of the premiere medical schools in the Philippines being consistently in the Professional Regulations Commission’s (PRC) list of top 5 colleges in the Physician Licensure Examinations.

Because of the exemplary performance of its graduates, three years after it has produced its first batch it was given full accreditation as a medical school.
The college has produced several board placers and physicians who have become noted in their respective medical specializations and service to the community. The graduates were given opportunities to give back to the College of Medicine and the city of Manila and the nation as faculty members, health service providers in the university, Manila health centers, government hospitals under the city of Manila, and the Manila Health Department and community health organizers and providers in the Count-Me-In Program.

Because of the College of Medicine’s noble vision and because of the impressive performance of its graduates, it has been included in the list of schools granted scholarships for medical students namely
the PCSO-DOH Pinoy MD Medical Scholarship Program and the “Bagong Doktor Para sa Bayan” from 2000-2010.

The aim of the College of Medicine has always been to produce medical graduates who strive for academic excellence and develop the passion for further training, research and community-service. With the efforts of its administration and faculty and the contributions of its graduates, the institution will continue its pursuit of being a center committed to excellence in providing quality medical education, training, research and service that is community-oriented.

In line with the university’s mission and vision, the PLM College of Medicine aims to be a professional school committed to excellence in community-oriented medical education, training, research and service; an excellent center for the education and training of medical professionals who are highly competent, globally competitive, ethical, caring and dedicated to serve the health needs of the city of Manila, the nation and the world.

Guided by this mission, the PLM College of Medicine seeks:
• To produce excellent community-oriented medical practitioners who value human life and promote health and wellness.
• To nurture the ideals of nationalism and the values of social sensitivity and responsibility, holistic care with compassion and dedication to the medical profession.
• To create a culture of academic excellence and social responsibility among the administrators, faculty and staff.
• To provide quality and relevant researches.
• To strengthen local, national and international linkages that will contribute to quality medical education.
• To provide appropriate and adequate infrastructure in support of the community-oriented medical education.
• To involve the alumni association in enhancing and sustaining community-oriented medical programs.