DOH to use contingency fund for health workers’ risk allowance

The Department of Health (DOH) on Monday said it would use P311 million from its contingency fund to provide a special risk allowance (SRA) to an additional 20,000 health workers as medical groups clamor for the release of their benefits.

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said the DOH has identified 20,156 health workers from the private and public sectors who will be added to the list of those who will receive the SRA.

“Ang worth nito is P311 million para bayaran po natin itong additional na list but that’s not final yet. Kailangan po naming antayin ‘yung final list na isusumite sa amin ng aming mga facilities at regional office,” she said in a briefing.

(This is worth P311 million for the SRA of those on the additional list but that’s not final yet. We still need to wait for the final list to be submitted by facilities and regional offices.)

Vergeire said hospitals were given until Thursday this week to submit a list of additional health workers to be given the SRA. The list will then undergo validation by the DOH.

The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will also be seeking the approval of the Office of the President to allow the DOH to use its contingency funds for the SRA.

“‘Pag pumayag na po ang DBM (Once DBM approves), we will already be able to issue the funds for these additional healthcare workers,” Vergeire said.

Bottlenecks

Meanwhile, Vergeire said one of the bottlenecks blocking the release of health workers’ SRA is the need for a memorandum of agreement between the DOH and local governments or private hospitals.

“That’s the only way that our regional office can transfer funds to them because they are not part of the DOH family,” she explained.

“Nakikipag-usap tayo ngayon how we can be able to streamline processes para hindi maraming layers, para po bumibilis ang pagbibigay ng ating mga benepisyo,” she added.

(We are discussing how we can be able to streamline processes to avoid having so many layers and speed up the release of the benefits.)

President Rodrigo Duterte earlier gave the DOH and DBM 10 days to release allowances and benefits due to medical frontliners. 

Health worker groups have warned that they would stage a mass protest if their long-sought-after benefits are not released by the DOH.  — RSJ, GMA News