DOH assures health workers: Issue of pay delay will be resolved

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) has assured health workers on Friday that steps are already being made to resolve their delayed payment of salaries.

“We assure our dedicated health workers our support and that steps are being taken into resolving this collaboratively with other concerned government offices and local government units (LGUs),” the DOH said in a statement on Friday.

DOH explained that there are “several external factors” contributing to the delays, “one of which is the pending release of the 2019 General Appropriations Act (GAA) yet to be approve by the Congress.”

The P3.7 trillion national budget, however, was already ratified by Congress last month but still awaits the signature of President Rodrigo Duterte.

READ: Senate ratifies P3.757-T national budget for 2019

READ: House ratifies P3.8-T proposed 2019 budget

“We recognize that our health workers are the backbone of a strong health system. They are important in realizing Universal Health Care,” DOH added.

The DOH further assured that with the release of the GAA, approximately 26,000 Human Resource for Health (HRH) other health workers will also be hired.

To be hired are rural health doctors, public health nurses, rural health midwives, dentists, medical technologists, pharmacists and nutritionist-dieticians.

“Of this, 17,205 positions will be dedicated to nurses. They will receive full benefits similar to the benefits of a permanent employee, a policy that the DOH has actively pushed for,” the DOH added. /muf