The Department of Health is getting additional funds from the Department of Budget and Management for the special risk allowance of healthcare workers.
The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) approved the release of additional funds to the Department of Health (DOH) for the special risk allowance (SRA) of eligible public health workers in the COVID-19 health care response.
DBM Secretary Amenah Pangandaman has approved the issuance of special allotment release order (SARO) amounting to ₱1.04 billion on October 3.
“We understand and recognize the selflessness and immense sacrifice that our healthcare workers continue to pour out throughout these turbulent times. Isa po itong paraan sa pagkilala sa kanilang sakripisyo,” Philippine News Agency quoted Pangandaman.
DBM also said that the budget will cover the unpaid COVID-19 special risk allowance of 551,211 health workers, who will also be given ₱5,000 for every month they work during the period of state national emergency.
“Rest assured that we will continue to closely coordinate with the DOH so that our healthcare workers get the allowances and benefits they deserve,” Pangandaman added.
Qualified health workers refer to medical, allied medical, and other personnel assigned in hospitals and healthcare facilities, and who are directly catering to or in contact with Covid-19 patients, persons under investigation (PUI)s, or persons under monitoring (PUMs).
The DBM said the release of funding for COVID-19 SRA is under Republic Act (RA) No. 11494, known as the Bayanihan to Recover as One Act, which mandates the provision of allowances and benefits to all public and private health workers catering to or are in contact with COVID-19 patients.
The grant of the SRA was further extended to June 30, 2021 under Administrative Order No. 42.
RA No. 11712 or an act granting mandatory continuing benefits and allowances to public and private health care workers during the Covid-19 pandemic and other future public health emergencies was passed into law on April 27, 2022, during the period of Public Health Emergency starting last July 1, 2021, in order to continue the benefit being provided to all public and private health workers.
Under the said law, SRA was effectively replaced by Health Emergency Allowance (HEA), with amounts provided based on risk levels.
For the health workers, there is risk exposure categorizations where those deployed in "low-risk areas" shall be given at least ₱3,000; those deployed in "medium risk areas" shall be given at least ₱6,000, and those deployed in "high-risk areas" shall be given at least ₱9,000.
The total released allotment for SRA amounts to ₱11.857 billion.
Tags: #DBM, #DOH, #healthworkers