DOH ‘repurposes’ hospital workers’ allowance

INQUIRER FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) had “repurposed” or already spent on other COVID-related matters the funds originally intended as allowances of public hospital employees during the pandemic.

Sean Velchez, president of the National Orthopedic Hospital Workers Union, said it was “disheartening” to learn that they could no longer receive the money “that was rightfully ours” in the first place.

He said this was even after the Office of the President on June 1 granted the workers’ request to monetize or get the cash equivalent of the benefits.

In a copy of the letter to the Philippine Orthopedic Center (POC), the DOH on June 8 said the Sub-Allotment Advice or P35.5 million worth of meal, transportation, and accommodation benefits were “already repurposed for COVID-19 related activities or responses, such as hiring of additional emergency (Human Resources for Health), vaccination program, and compensation benefits of health workers who contracted COVID-19 infection.”

There was no longer any “additional funding or budget request” to cover the said benefits, added the letter signed by Maylene Beltran, the health assistant secretary for administration and financial management team.

The POC was just one of the 72 DOH-retained hospitals that were supposed to receive a total of P2 billion worth of allowances from September to December 2020 under the Bayanihan 2 law.

But in December 2020, the DOH ordered hospitals, including the POC, to return whatever unused amount before that year was over, since the law was also supposed to expire last year.

Different interpretations

“The funds were only downloaded [some time] Dec. 13, [2020]. Hospitals also had different interpretations that some [spent the money] on food catering and gave free meals to health-care workers,” Velchez said.

Other hospitals gave gift certificates, canteen food stubs, or canned goods to employees.

Still, Velchez said hospitals could have never possibly disbursed the money in time, forcing hospitals to return the remainder to the DOH.

After a series of dialogues with Health Secretary Francisco Duque III and the validity of Bayanihan 2 was extended, Velchez said Malacañang in June finally agreed to their request to have the allowances monetized.

But with the DOH letter, “it’s as if the DOH is now telling us, ‘sorry but we already spent the money intended for your meals, accommodation and transportation,’” Velchez said.

“Is that even possible? That is the health workers’ money,” he said.