The Department of Health (DOH) said that it is currently seeking additional funds from the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) for the provision of special risk allowance (SRA) to at least 17,000 more healthcare workers.
DOH Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that this was aside from the P311 million fund that was already released for the SRA of 20,208 healthcare workers.
“We have already submitted an additional fund request for DBM to cover for those who were not covered by the P311 million,” said Vergeire on Friday, Aug. 27.
“Meron na ho tayong bagong request sa DBM kung saan may nakapagsumite na sa atin around 17,670 additional healthcare workers na nag submit ng kanilang requirements (We have requested again from the DBM for around 17,670 additional healthcare workers who have submitted their requirements),” she added.
The DOH said that it is “doing its best” to provide the necessary benefits for healthcare workers, said Vergeire.
“Kung sakali na meron pang magsusumite sa ating mga regional offices and they will be declared eligible, tayo ay magre-request pa rin patuloy sa ating Department of Budget and Management para makumpleto po natin ito (In case there are more healthcare workers submitting their requirements to our regional offices ---and they will be declared eligible--- we will still continue to request from our Department of Budget and Management ),” she said.
“Ginagawa po namin lahat ng aming makakaya para matugunan po natin ang kahilingan ng ating mga healthcare workers (We are doing everything we can to meet the demands of our healthcare workers),” she added.
The DOH is also in favor to the appeal of the frontliners that health workers who are not catering to COVID-19 patients should also receive a special risk allowance. However, the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, or Bayanihan 2 said that the provision of SRA is only for those “directly catering to or in contact with COVID-19 patients,” said Vergeire.
“Kung pwede lang, we will do that. Kami ay may obligasyon na pangalagaan ang lahat ng healthcare workers sa ating bansa (If possible, we will do that. We have an obligation to take care of all our healthcare workers in the country),” said Vergeire.
“But as much as we want to give everybody, we are limited by existing laws and policies that we have right now in the country. Nakalagay sa ating batas---directly catering to COVID-19 patients ang binibigyan and we follow that (It is stated in our law --- that it is only for those directly catering COVID-19 patients and we follow that),” she added.
Meanwhile, the DOH is also coordinating with DBM to extend the contracts of medical frontliners who were hired under the emergency hiring program, said Vergeire.
“Kami po ay nakikipag-usap maigi ngayon sa DBM para magkaroon na tayo ng additional funds para ma-extend po natin yung nai-hire na nating mga empleyado hanggang sa end of this year.Inaantay pa rin po natin ang sagot ng Department of Management para diyan (We are also in talks with the DBM so that we can have additional funds so we can extend the contracts of employees we have hired---- until the end of this year. We are still waiting for the response from the Department of Management about this),” said Vergeire.