DOH seeks P49 billion more in 2022 budget for health workers' SRA

The Department of Health (DOH) is appealing for an additional budget of at least P49 billion to fund the special risk allowance of more than 500,000 healthcare workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

During the resumption of the deliberations on the proposed P5.014 trillion national budget, Marikina City Representative Stella Quimbo asked the DOH how much additional budget it intends to appeal for the medical frontliners' SRAs as initially, allowances were not included in the agency's proposed budget.

"Pagdating naman po sa SRA, allowances ng frontliners at booster shots para sa bakuna, confirmed na wala sa budget. And as explained by our good sponsor, humihingi po kayo ng dagdag na budget para sa SRA ng frontliners. And this amounts to P49 billion, tama po?" Quimbo said.

Cebu Representative Duke Frasco, sponsor of the DOH's proposed P242.22-billion budget, answered in the affirmative, saying that the P49 billion will cover a total of 526,727 healthcare workers who are included in the DOH's inventory.

Quimbo then asked if this would also cover those frontliners who are not directly exposed to COVID-19 patients such as janitors.

In response, Frasco said: "Yes, kasama sila. The healthcare workers are categorized as either low-risk, medium-risk or high-risk."

Frasco said P3,000 is allotted per month for low-risk healthcare workers while P6,000 and P9,000 were allocated for medium-risk and high-risk medical frontliners, respectively.

He said the allowance would be given on a monthly basis.

Several groups of health workers from both government hospitals and the private institutions had complained about the non-release of their special risk allowance and the removal of their other benefits such as meal and transportation allowance even as they continue to be at the frontlines of the pandemic.

Health workers have staged protests over these unreleased benefits. They even demanded the ouster of Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and President Rodrigo Duterte.—LDF, GMA News