Duque: DOH needs P1.23 billion for health workers’ special risk allowance

The Department of Health has requested an additional P1.23 billion to fund the special risk allowance (SRA) of health workers, Health Secretary Francisco Duque III said.

Duque made the announcement in a taped meeting with President Rodrigo Duterte and other Cabinet members aired Thursday morning.

The Health chief said his department requested such amount from the Department of Budget and Management.

Duque said that so far, P15.1 billion of benefits for health workers have been released which include SRA, hazard duty pay, meal/accommodation/transportation allowance and life insurance.

Likewise, Duque said that on top of the P15 billion, P882 million worth of SRA have been released under Batch 3 while the release of P6 million worth of SRA under Batch 4 is also underway.

Health workers have been protesting the delayed release of SRA and the MAT benefits amid the COVID-19 pandemic. — RSJ, GMA News