The Department of Health (DOH) acknowledged that some healthcare workers have yet to receive their special risk allowance (SRA) but assured that it is already addressing the matter.
DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said that 359,501 healthcare workers, including more than 54,000 medical frontliners from the private hospitals, received their SRA from January to June of this year.
“For the SRA of January to June, we were able to give SRA to 359,501 healthcare workers and this was downloaded to them for the amount of P8 billion,” Vega said in an interview with CNN Philippines on Tuesday, Aug. 17.
Vega, however, admitted that they are still collating data on some healthcare workers who have yet to receive their respective SRAs.
“There are inadvertently miscalculations in terms of the SRA that should be given to the healthcare workers. I think we have asked the different institutions through the regional offices to make sure that the HR of the different institutions will give them at least a number of healthcare workers that not been provided,” said Vega.
“We will try to collate this and seek again another special budget for the SRA of the different healthcare workers who were not given their due,” he added.
Vega appealed to healthcare workers to have more patience with regards to the said matter.
“I am not offering any excuses but....it's very hard for us to validate the Central Office or certify health care workers directly working in contact with COVID,” he said.
Vega also appealed to the healthcare workers who are planning to go on mass resignation.
“This is very unfortunate and I guess we all understand that we are all in this pandemic and we have to work as one. We will work and talk to the different heads of these organizations to make sure that they will be able to get--- a timely manner---the benefits due to them,” he said.