DOH to implement risk-based allowance for health workers

The Special Risk Allowance for healthcare workers will be replaced by a more inclusive and responsive One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA), according to the Department of Health (DOH).

Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said those classified to be high risk will be given P9,000 per month, those at moderate risk will receive P6,000, and those at low risk will be given P3,000.

“So wala po nabawas. Pinag-isa lang po natin para mas madali po at mas magkaroon ng regular na pagtanggap ang ating mga healthcare workers without having to wait because of all these validaiton,” Vergeire told CNN.

(Nothing was cut. We just consolidated it so our healthcare workers will be able to accept the benefits regularly.)

Among those in the high-risk category include healthcare workers in hospitals, laboratories, and temporary treatment and monitoring facilities.

Further, Vergeire said healthcare workers must be on duty for a certain number of days in order to receive the benefit.

The DOH said the OCA shall also be pro-rated.

Meanwhile, the undersecretary stressed that the OCA has no purpose or intention to be discriminatory.

This was after the Alliance of Health Workers denounced the policy, saying that placing a risk classification is “divisive and discriminating.”

“Hindi po ito discriminatory kasi kailangan natin mabalikan (This is not discriminatory because we have to remember) what is the objective of giving this additional benefits. We call it a special risk allowance because we know that because of this pandemic, our healthcare workers have this additional risk to them, and this risk should be classified,” she said.

“Kasi meron tayong mga (Because we have) healthcare workers that are really not on the frontlines katulad ng mga taga DOH nasa opisina kami so hindi kami high risk talaga (like us in the DOH who are office-based, we are not under the high risk classification),” she added.—AOL, GMA News