The Department of Budget and Management (DBM) on Wednesday approved the release of P11.5 billion to cover the health emergency allowance (HEA) claims of over 1.6 million public and private health care and non-health care workers.
In a news statement, the DBM said it issued the Special Allotment Release Order (SARO) that covers the unfunded One Covid-19 Allowance (OCA) or HEA claims of health-care and non-health-care workers for the period of January to June 2022.
“Our health-care workers deserve all the support and assistance from their government. They’ve been risking their lives to save and protect our people amidst this still prevailing pandemic. This is the least we can do for them,” Budget Secretary Amenah F. Pangandaman said.
The DBM said the latest release of funds will cover the unfunded portion of some 2,613,331 approved OCA/HEA claims by the Department of Health (DOH) as of September 5, 2022, with a total funding requirement of P18.7 billion.
Of the said amount, P7.92 billion has been released last February 14, covering the payment of 995,671 OCA/HEA claims, the DBM added.
The DBM explained that provision of OCA is in pursuant to the Department of Health Special Provision (SP) No. 14 (Benefits for Covid-19 Workers) of the 2022 General Appropriations Act, which was subsequently replaced by HEA under the Republic Act No. 11712 (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, and Appropriating Funds Therefor).
Last Monday, the DBM also issued a SARO amounting to P1.04 billion that will cover unpaid Covid-19 special risk allowance (SRA) claims of 55,211 health workers.
The beneficiaries will receive P5,000 for every month that they served during the period of state of national emergency, the DBM added.
“We understand and recognize the selflessness and immense sacrifice that our health workers continue to pour out throughout these turbulent times. Isa po itong paraan sa pagkilala sa kanilang sakripisyo,” Pangandaman said last Tuesday.
The DBM said it has released a total amount of P11.857 billion for the SRA of health workers to date.
DOH assures ‘expeditious’ payment to HCWs
The DOH, meanwhile, assured on Wednesday the “expeditious” disbursement of unpaid Covid-19 SRA/HEA/One Covid-19 Allowance (OCA) to HCWs following the release P1.04 billion and P11.5 billion funds on October 3, 2022 and October 5, 2022, respectively, by DBM.
Officer in Charge Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said DOH is currently preparing the sub-allotment guidelines and has simultaneously informed regional counterparts at the Centers for Health Development (CHDs) to prepare the necessary paperwork and documents for disbursement to eligible health-care workers and eligible non-health-care workers for the period of September 2020 to June 2022.
“Our health-care workers are the backbone of our health-care system, and it is incumbent upon us to ensure that they are protected through fair compensation and benefits,” she explained.
Meanwhile, the P11.5 billion will be processed by the DOH for the payment of 1,617,660 unpaid HEA/OCA covering January 2022 to June 2022.
Additional funding, the DOH noted, would also needed to cover for services rendered from July 2021 to present pursuant to Republic Act No. 11712, otherwise known as the “Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act.”
The DOH said that it would exhaust all efforts to expedite the process of transferring these funds to implementing units and facilities for the immediate release to all eligible HCWs.
“We thank the DBM for releasing these funds, and we pledge to expend all our efforts to compensate our dear health-care workers for their unwavering service to every Juan and Juana during this pandemic.” Vergeire said. With Claudeth Mocon-Ciriaco