CHED allowed face-to-face classes and clinical rotations regardless of community quarantine status.
The Commission on Higher Education (CHED) allowed face-to-face classes and clinical rotations regardless of community quarantine status.
According to the Commission on Higher Education, the face-to-face clinical rotation of clinical clerks and post-graduate or medical interns — as well as limited in-person learning — will continue despite the imposition of community quarantine status.
However, CHED Chairman Prospero De Vera III said in a statement issued last September 17 that those clinical rotations will push through “subject to the guidelines” that will be issued by the Commission on Higher Education and the Department of Health (DOH).
According to De Vera, the said move was pursuant to the Inter-Agency Task Force for the Management of Emerging Infectious Diseases (IATF-MEID) Resolution No. 138 released last September 9.
The decision aimed to ensure that there will be “additional frontliners in hospitals without compromising the safety of the interns” since they will not be rotated in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) units or areas.
De Vera also cited CHED and DOH issued last September 16 the Article IV-B of CHED-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular No. 2021-001, series of 2021.
“For HEIs located in areas under General Community Quarantine (GCQ), CHED may give them authority to conduct limited face-to-face classes during the COVID-19 pandemic,” said De Vera.
However, De Vera clarified that this will be subjected to compliance with this CHED-DOH Joint Memorandum Circular and the existing policies as well as other considerations.
For higher education institutions to be allowed to continue face-to-face clinical rotation of clinical clerks and post-graduate or medical interns, De Vera said that they should have “submitted their applications” to the concerned CHED Regional Offices.
De Vera added that the higher education institutions should be offering any of the priority health-related degree programs and courses or subjects and “they have base hospital/s catering to COVID 19 patients”.
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Meanwhile, De Vera noted that for higher education institutions offering medical education programs located in areas under ECQ, MECQ, and GCQ with Heightened Restrictions, CHED may give them authority to conduct limited face-to-face classes during the pandemic “subject to compliance” with the Joint Memorandum Circular and the existing policies as stated.
Manila Bulletin reported that higher education institutions that will be allowed to hold limited face-to-face classes should submit their applications to the concerned CHED Regional Offices and have base hospital/s catering to COVID-19 patients.
“Medical clerks and postgraduate/medical interns shall NOT be allowed to rotate in the emergency room, out-patient department, and COVID wards, but only be allowed to rotate in non-COVID units (including non-COVID operating rooms and ICU), telemedicine hub and the Bayanihan Na Operations Center (if applicable),” De Vera explained.
De Vera likewise noted that “only fully vaccinated medical clerks and postgraduate/medical interns” shall be allowed, while unvaccinated clerks/interns shall continue with the flexible learning modality and “may take face-to-face classes if the area is reclassified to MGCQ/GCQ”.
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