MBBS in University of Perpetual Help System Dalta Jonelta Foundation

The University of Perpetual Help System DALTA – Jonelta Foundation School of Medicine, widely known as UPHSD-JFSM, is one of the Philippines' most recognised private medical institutions. It sits in Las Piñas City, Metro Manila, and has been part of the broader University of Perpetual Help System since the parent university's founding on February 5, 1975, by Brigadier General Dr. Antonio Laperal Tamayo and his wife, Dr. Daisy Moran Tamayo. The medical school itself was formally established in June 1996 and granted autonomous status by the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) on November 7, 1997. That recognition came early and meant something: the institution did not need decades to prove itself before regulators trusted its academic standards. The name "DALTA" is drawn from the founders' initials;  Daisy and Antonio Laperal Tamayo; which gives the institution a personal character that many large universities lack.

The Jonelta Foundation School of Medicine operates under the larger UPHSD system, which spans multiple campuses across Las Piñas, Molino, Cavite, Bacoor, and Calamba City in Laguna. The medical programme, however, is anchored at the Las Piñas campus, which is where students spend most of their academic and clinical years. The campus covers around 4 hectares and houses lecture halls, modern laboratories, demonstration rooms with anatomical specimens and cadavers, a general library, a dedicated medical library, an auditorium, sports facilities, and a cafeteria. It is a self-contained learning environment, and that matters when you are a student far from home trying to manage a demanding medical curriculum.

One of the most practical advantages of UPHSD-JFSM, especially for Indian students, is that the entire Doctor of Medicine programme is delivered in English. Unlike medical schools in Eastern Europe or parts of Asia where local language proficiency is required before or during the course, studying medicine at UPHSD requires no Filipino language learning. English is both the official instruction medium and a widely spoken everyday language in the Philippines. This eliminates an important obstacle for many international student & it gives students the ability to concentrate entirely on their medical studies from the very beginning.

The Doctor of Medicine (MD) program provided at our university has a unique curriculum framework that adheres to the Foreign Medical Graduate Licentiate (FMGL) Regulations 2021 laid out in India. First, the students enrolled in the university take a 1.5-year pre-medical Bachelor of Science program, then 54-month (4.5-year) core Doctor of Medicine program, and after this a compulsory 12-month internship in the university-affiliated hospital. As per FMGL 2021 regulations, the minimum duration for the core medical program at one institute should be 54 months, without counting the pre-medical years, and the internship year should be compulsory. The modified curriculum of the UPHSD-JFSM, endorsed by CHED, complies with the above-mentioned conditions in its entirety. After completion of the program and internship, the students can give the NExT (National Exit Test) exam. Eligibility is confirmed through CHED recognition & the institution's listing in the World Directory of Medical Schools (WDMS), both of which the National Medical Commission (NMC) of India references when verifying foreign medical credentials.

An important regulatory point for Indian students: the Embassy of India in Manila has issued an advisory confirming that CHED-accredited Philippine medical schools comply with FMGL rules, provided graduates obtain a Certificate of Registrability to practise in the Philippines. This means international graduates must demonstrate eligibility to sit for the Philippine Physician Licensure Examination (PLE) as part of satisfying this NMC condition. Students should factor this requirement into their post-graduation planning from the outset.

The clinical training at UPHSD is anchored around the University of Perpetual Help DALTA Medical Center (UPHDMC), which is located on the Las Piñas campus. The hospital operates with over 500 beds and handles a substantial daily patient load which includes around 300 outpatients every day, along with inpatient admissions across a wide range of specialities. The centre offers services in nephrology, neurology, cardiology, oncology, orthopaedics, gynaecology, ophthalmology, gastroenterology, and several others. For students in their clinical years, this means consistent exposure to real cases under the supervision of experienced clinicians, not just simulation or observer roles.

In addition to the main teaching hospital, UPHSD-JFSM has established clinical affiliations with a number of external hospitals and health centres. These include the Philippine General Hospital (Psychiatry Department), Bacoor Health Centers in Cavite, and a notable set of affiliated hospitals in Chicago, Illinois, in the United States; including St. Bernard Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Norwegian American Hospital, Loretto Hospital, and R.M.L. Chicago Specialty Hospital. These US affiliations provide international clinical clerkship opportunities for students who qualify, which is an uncommon benefit at this cost point in Philippine medical education.

Faculty quality at UPHSD is often cited as one of its strengths. The teaching staff includes medical professionals who trained at or hold degrees from institutions such as Harvard, UCLA, UC Davis, the University of the Philippines, the University of Santo Tomas, and De La Salle University, among others. Many hold advanced postgraduate qualifications in education, epidemiology, and the social sciences. The university maintains a structured mentoring programme, and review classes for Medical Board Examinations are provided to graduating students as a standard part of academic support.

The UPHSD campus also offers comfortable hostel accommodation for international students. Separate facilities exist for male and female students, and each room comes with an attached bathroom, single, double, or triple bed configurations, a study area, air-conditioning, and 24/7 Wi-Fi access. The hostel can collectively accommodate over 1,000 students. Indian mess and food options are available on campus, which matters more than most prospective students initially realise when planning a six-plus-year stay abroad. Las Piñas City itself is a first-class urbanised city within Metro Manila, well-connected by public transport, and generally considered safe and comfortable for students.

For Indian students specifically, UPHSD-JFSM offers a combination of factors that is genuinely difficult to find elsewhere at this tuition level: full English instruction, NMC-recognised degree, WDMS listing, a FMGL 2021-compliant curriculum, an on-campus teaching hospital, US-affiliated clerkship opportunities, Indian food on campus, and a well-established track record of producing doctors who go on to practise in India, the US, the UK, and other countries. The institution's guiding principle that "Character Building is Nation Building" reflects its Catholic ethos, though the school is co-educational and open to students of all backgrounds.