Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa assured during a media briefing on Tuesday, June 13, that he will closely work on the release of over P12 billion worth of delayed allowances for healthcare workers (HCWs).
Photo courtesy of Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa Facebook
"I'll get on top of this because I feel the nurses are our real priority, and I'm going to tell this on national TV: I really love the nurses because they are our healthcare system," he said.
Photo courtesy of Department of Health (DOH) Secretary Dr. Teodoro "Ted" Herbosa Facebook
"I'll get on top of this because I feel the nurses are our real priority, and I'm going to tell this on national TV: I really love the nurses because they are our healthcare system," he said.
READ:
[New DOH chief assures prioritization of HCWs' delayed Covid benefits, allowances](https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/7/new-doh-chief-assures-prioritization-of-hc-ws-delayed-covid-benefits-allowances) According to Herbosa, most of the HCWs have already received their allowances except for those in the private sector due to technical issues with their hospital administration. "The private hospitals don't have the same processes we do in government. All the papers, before you do anything, the government director hospitals know that they will be flagged by the Commission on Audit in every centavo of that. So the distribution was right," he said in a mix of Filipino and English. He did not disclose a specific timeline on when will it be dispensed and instead said that "as long the documentation is there, they should be paid." The health secretary also stated that he does not want the Filipino nurses to leave the country, because the government, particularly DOH, needs them for its projects and initiatives. He then cited his previous conversation with President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. in which the latter said that, during meetings, every nation leader comes up to him asking for Filipino nurses to work in their respective countries as they are the "best in the world." This is a good thing, Herbosa said, but the Philippines cannot lose all of its nurses, which is why they are trying to address the country's nurses shortage with a more lateral thinking approach. "I’m really trying to solve this with the more lateral thinking approach and more innovative idea in trying to get them to stay in the Philippines. The sad part is, there are 4,500 vacant plantilla items in the Department of Health alone. I’m not going to count the LGU hospitals," Herbosa said.READ:
[Herbosa apologizes for controversial tweet, invites protesters to his office for peaceful discussion](https://mb.com.ph/2023/6/9/herbosa-apologizes-for-controversial-tweet-invites-protesters-in-his-office-for-peaceful-discussion)