Cainta nurse who died of COVID-19 gets P61 daily coronavirus hazard pay

The daughter of a nurse who died due to COVID-19 expected to get her mother’s hazard pay amounting to P16,500, which was equivalent to 33 days of work multiplied by P500 —  the daily hazard pay the Department of Health promised to health care workers.

However, according to a report on “Stand for Truth” on Friday, Casey Cruz, the daughter of Tess, a Cainta Municipal Hospital nurse, only received P7,270.

“Ang problem din kasi dito, ‘yong hospital ay operated by the (local government unit), hindi siya DOH hospital. However, ‘yong mayor nangako siya na naglaan siya ng P14 million para sa hazard pay ng mga health workers. Bakit P7,000 lang?” Casey said.

“Kung titingnan ‘yong press releases at promises ng national at local government on the top of SRA o ‘yong regular hazard pay na natatanggap nila ay may dagdag pa na hazard pa. Ibig sabihin, magkaibang usapan siya. Ibang computation siya,” she added.

Tess, who served at the Cainta hospital for 10 years, has been diagnosed with pneumonia before the pandemic. But instead of sitting out the health crisis, she still chose to serve the community.

“Marami nang comorbidity si mama kaya sinasabi namin sa kaniya na ‘ma, okay lang na ‘wag ka muna pumasok, kami na muna bahala kasi high-risk ka…’ (pero) back to work siya… The main reason is napakababa ng manpower nila doon sa pediatric ward,” Casey said.

“Ang iniisip niya lagi ‘paano ‘yong workmate ko?’ Kung a-absent siya lalo silang mahihirapan so tuloy siya,” she added.

Tess started experiencing symptoms of the illness on July 12. It turned out that she had a contact with a mother-daughter patient in the pediatric ward who were positive for COVID-19.

Casey said Tess attempted to undergo swab testing immediately but decided to forego it and just manage her symptoms so that other patients may use the test kit. Her symptoms eventually subsided.

When her symptoms worsened on July 17, she requested for a swab testing at the Cainta Municipal Hospital but there was no available schedule. Tess’ family eventually decided to get her admitted in a private hospital in Taytay.

“Nakita doon sa x-ray at CT scan na sobrang cloudy na noong lungs niya as in halos white na pero siyempre hindi pa rin makapag-conclude ‘yong doctor kung COVID ba ‘to kasi wala pa rin ‘yong swab results niya. So nagbigay na lang muna ng gamot for pneumonia,” Casey said.

“July 20-21, wala pa result ng swab test. (July) 22 doon na nag-decide and family namin na i-intubate na siya,” she added.

Tess passed away due to cardiac arrest brought by COVID-19 on July 22, three days after getting tested for the illness. She received her positive test results two days after her death.

Under the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, all public health workers must also be given a “COVID-19 special risk allowance,” in addition to the hazard pay granted under the Magna Carta of the Public Health Workers or Republic Act No. 7305.

However, Cainta Mayor Kit Nieto said the local government’s computation is correct. Contrary to what the Bayanihan to Heal as One Act, the mayor claims that the COVID-19 special risk allowance is not added on top of their regular hazard pay, but is computed as the "differential" or the difference between the two allowances.

“Ibinigay ang discretion sa LGU mag-determine kung magkano kasi iba-iba naman kapasidad namin. So ang ibinigay na maximum… ng national government was P500. I made the computation of the amount na puwede naming ibigay, we arrived at the amount of P300, which means on top of your suweldo and you are able to get to report for work for 60 days doon sa COVID timeline, you are entitled to an additional P18,000,” Nieto said.

Nieto said Tess was able to report for 33 days out of the 60 days, the reason she is not qualified for the additional P18,000.

“We also asked the accounting department about that (the P7,270 Tess received), taxable pala ‘yong part na ito. In her case because she was receiving P21,000 plus allowances, I think ‘yong amount na ‘yan ay taxable,” he added.

Nieto said when subtracted from her regular hazard pay, Tess' COVID-19 hazard allowance for 33 days amounted to P2,010 or P60.90 per day.

Nieto also explained that the reason the hazard pay was delayed was because the country is still in the middle of a pandemic.

“‘Yong delay by itself is subjective in nature. Up to now, we are still in the pandemic. Hindi pa naman natatapos eh. Wala namang specific guidelines coming from the national government or from any other agencies that tell us that we have to release it within a particular period of time,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Alliance of Health Workers said the hazard pay for health workers is deceptive.

AHW said health workers are made to choose which hazard pay is better — the one under the Magna Carta of Public Health Workers or the COVID-19 hazard pay.

“Ang gusto namin talaga pantay-pantay na siya na P500 per day tapos regardless ng days of exposure. Kasi mayroon doon sa guidelines na 1-7 days exposure mayroon kang 25%. 'Pag more than 7 days, full payment. Dapat ‘di ganoon kasi once na madapuan ka ng virus, kahit isang araw lang, nandoon na yon,” it said.—Ma. Angelica Garcia/LDF/MDM/KG, GMA News