PHL Medical Association eyes hazard pay for medical frontliners

The Philippine Medical Association is pushing for a hazard pay for medical frontliners amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, its president Dr. Jose Santiago Jr. said Tuesday.

In an interview on Dobol B sa News TV, Santiago said the proposal will be tackled in a hearing at the House of Representatives on Wednesday.

"Meron pa rin tayong hinihingi na mga, of course, benefits from the government... of course, 'yung hazard pay... kailangan din ng mga doctor ng hazard pay, no?" Santiago said.

"Of course, we have to consider also the financial capacity of the hospital, but of course we can get a very reasonable and fair hazard pay so we can ask the Congress for this hazard pay," he added.

Proposals are also being made in collaboration with other organizations.

"Well, we are making some proposals to, in collaboration with [the] Philippine Hospitals Association and [the] Private Hospitals Association," he said.

Santiago said that PMA is also working on giving more incentives to medical frontliners in private hospitals as some nurses have transferred to government medical institutions due to better benefits.

"As far as I know sa private, wala akong alam na lumilipat no? Except for some nurses, probably. I know some nurses really nag migrate... sa government because they are giving more incentives," Santiago said.

"That's why we're thinking of incentives that we can give to nurses in the private hospitals that we can really afford," he added.—AOL, GMA News