Health workers ask for full hazard pay even for those quarantined

Nurses are asking the government to give the health workers their hazard pay in full even if they had to be quarantined amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

According to Maki Pulido's report on "24 Oras", health workers are supposed to receive a P5,000 special risk allowance and P3,000 active hazard duty pay per month.

Some nurses said many of them didn't receive the P8,000 in full. Only those who worked for 22 days for a month would receive the full amount.

Those who have not completed the 22 days will have deductions.

Philippine Orthopedic Center Employees Union president Sean Velchez said many nurses had not received the extra pay in full because they had to undergo mandatory quarantine.

"'Yong problem po doon, halimbawa, sa gitna ng buwan kung saan ka nag-du-duty ay na-expose ka halimbawa or may mga policy tulad sa PGH na every two weeks kailangan mo mag-mandatory quarantine," Velchez said.

"Hindi ka na makakakuha ng SRA o sobarang bawas na SRA mo,"  he added.

[The problem is when a nurse has to undergo quarantine, they will not receive the SRA or they will only receive a small amount of the SRA.]

The Philippine Nurses Association called on the government to give the necessary benefits without condition.

"'Yong buhay ng health workers ay always at risk dahil hindi lang naman COVID 'yong infectious diseases. 'Yong mga pinapangako ng gobyerno, parang nahihirapan pa kaming kuhanin," PNA president Melbert Reyes said.

[Health workers' lives are always at risk. We are having a hard time getting what the government promised us.]

"Masakit para sa amin na we have to beg for these allowances that the government promised," he added.

[It's painful that we have to beg for these allowances that the government promised.]

Further, the Department of Health said no deductions must be made in the benefits of the health workers under quarantine.

The DOH said it would release a new department memorandum to clarify the matter. --Ma. Angelica Garcia/NB, GMA News