DOH, DOF, DBM set meeting on funding of health workers' SRAs

The Department of Health will meet with the Departments of Finance and the  Budget and Management to discuss the funding of the special risk allowance of healthcare workers for the year 2022, the DOH chief said Wednesday.

DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III admitted there was a small source of funds for the SRAs of medical frontliners in 2021. He said that for 2022, the DOH is asking for at least P50 billion to fund the SRAs of healthcare workers.

"We're looking at better revenue generation and more efficient collection and hopefully, what we have fought for on behalf of our healthcare workers is a P50 billion allowances for this year but since I have mentioned, about P7.8 or P7.9 billion was in the programmed funds in the GAA for 2022 that will only last no more than two months worth of allowances..." Duque said at a Kapihan sa Manila Bay forum.

"That's why tomorrow we are meeting with DOF and DBM to source the remaining balance of about P43 billion so that we can give our entire healthcare workers," he added.

He also admitted that some of the SRAs and benefits of healthcare workers in the previous year were not yet completely given to them.

"Mayroon pang balanse sa meals, accommodation, and transport and kung nakakakita kami ng savings, we put them together and continue to provide them pero kulang talaga sa pondo specifically 'yung special risk allowance at saka 'yung MAT, 'yun ang I have to admit, di pa nabibigay lahat..." Duque said.

(There's still a balance in the meals, accommodation, and transportation and when we identify savings, we put them together and continue to provide them but we really lacked funds so I have to admit, some were not yet given.)

Senator Sonny Angara, chairman of the Senate committee on finance, earlier disclosed that the DOH budget for 2022 was increased by P20 to P30 billion as they included funds to finance SRAs of health workers and for the procurement of vaccines and booster shots.

Several groups of health workers from both government hospitals and the private institutions had complained about the non-release of their SRAs and the removal of their other benefits such as meal and transportation allowance even as they continue to be on the frontlines of the battle against the pandemic. —LBG, GMA News