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Probe sought into delay in release of healthcare workers' special risk allowance


Ang Probinsyano Party-list Representative Alfred Delos Santos sought an investigation into the supposed "administrative impediments," which prevents the timely release of the special risk allowance of healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic. 

In his House Resolution 2102, Delos Santos said there have been complaints of delayed releases of SRAs as well as discrepancies in the actual amounts being given to medical frontliners. 

"The lament of our health workers on the low and delayed release of their benefits might end up with mass resignations of healthcare workers, leading to hospital understaffing," Delos Santos said. 

"No amount of monetary compensation is ever enough to fully compensate for the risks associated through this pandemic and the sacrifices of our health workers must endure to carry out their responsibilities, it is only right that we give them proper benefits," he added. 

The Department of Budget and Management released P9.02 billion last June for the granting of SRAs to health workers, covering the period of December 20, 2020 to June 30, 2021. 

Delos Santos stressed that fair compensation of healthcare workers should always be given in a timely and transparent manner, devoid of administrative discretions. 

In a separate press release, Delos Santos also mentioned an instance wherein a certain nurse was asking for a computation of the SRA, but according to the lawmaker, the nurse was told that the information was "confidential." 

"There must be some kind of hocus pocus happening on the funds. Kasi bakit ayaw ipakita 'yung computation? (Because why would they not want to show the computation)," the lawmaker said. 

GMA News Online reached the Department of Health for comment on the issue but it has yet to reply as of posting time.

On Monday, the Filipino Nurses United (FNU) also expressed dismay over the supposed non-inclusion of the benefits of health workers and nurses in the proposed Bayanihan 3. 

The group had stressed the urgent need to fund the salaries of additional health personnel to respond to the problem of extreme understaffing through mass hiring with regular plantilla positions of nurses and other healthcare workers. 

FNU Secretary General Jocelyn Andamo had said the performance of nurses is being “compromised” as they are forced to handle as many as a dozen patients due to the surge of COVID-19 infections. —KG, GMA News

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