SRA of health workers ready for release to hospitals —gov't adviser

The regional offices of the Department of Health  (DOH) can now release the special risk allowance (SRA) of health workers to hospitals, an adviser to the National Task Force (NTF) Against COVID-19 said Friday.

Interviewed on GMA News’ Unang Balita, NTF special adviser Dr. Ted Herbosa said the funds will be downloaded to hospitals which can provide a list of SRA recipients.

"Ready na magbigay 'yung ating mga regional offices sa mga ospital na magbibigay ng listahan ng kanilang mga nurse," he said.

(Our regional offices are ready to give the funds to hospital that can provide the list of their nurses who will receive the SRA.)

The Alliance of Health Workers (AHW) earlier threatened to launch mass protests if the DOH fails to provide all the benefits and compensation to medical frontline workers by August 31.

On Wednesday, the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) announced that it released P311.79 million but only for the long overdue SRAs of health workers.

AHW president Robert Mendoza expressed disappointment that the DOH has yet to provide the P38,000 worth of meal and transportation allowance from December 2020 to June 2021, as well as the P3,000 monthly active duty hazard pay.

Due to this, the alliance said it is now giving the government only until Friday, instead of August 31, to release their benefits or they would push through with their planned protest action.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III said earlier this week that the special risk allowance and compensation for health workers will be distributed until Aug. 31.

This was after President Rodrigo Duterte directed the DOH and the DBM to render the allowances and other COVID-19 benefits for medical workers within 10 days.  —KBK, GMA News