DOH to implement One COVID-19 Allowance for health workers
FRONT-LINERS Health workers prepare for duty at Santa Ana hospital in Manila. —FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) will be implementing a “more inclusive and responsive” One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA) for health workers who are involved in the country’s COVID-19 response.
“In line with President Rodrigo R. Duterte’s pronouncement that the HCWs (healthcare workers) should be given higher Special Risk Allowance (SRA) in 2022, commensurate with their risks, the DOH will be implementing the One COVID-19 Allowance this year,” the DOH said in a statement on Thursday.
The DOH added that with the implementation of the OCA, allowances and benefits that were previously given to health workers will be discontinued.
“Benefits, which have been previously enjoyed by a limited number of HCWs — Active Hazard Duty Pay for Public Health Workers; Meals, Accommodation and Transportation Allowance; and the Special Risk Allowance, for HCWs directly catering or exposed to COVID-19 patients — shall be discontinued and replaced by a more inclusive and responsive OCA,” the agency added.
According to the DOH, the OCA will be provided to all health workers involved in the COVID-19 response. The allowance shall be equitably distributed to HCWs, taking into account their COVID-19 exposure classification.
“This considers the type of health facility where they are assigned, work setting, and nature of work. Those deemed classified to be high risk will be eligible for P9,000.00 per month while those classified as moderate and low risk shall be given P6,000.00 and P3,000.00 respectively. The OCA shall also be pro-rated,” the DOH added.
The DOH said P1.08 billion under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) of 2022 was allocated for the sickness and death benefits of HCWs who will contract COVID-19 in line of duty.
The DOH and the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) will issue a joint administrative order to provide the guidelines in the granting of benefits.
The DOH said it has issued Administrative Order No. 2022-0001 or Guidelines for COVID-19 Risk Exposure Classification, which will be disseminated for a national database of health workers involved in the COVID-19 response and their respective work risk classification.
According to the health agency, funds for the benefits of HCWs are classified For Later Release (FLR) and will be approved by the DBM once all documentary requirements have been fulfilled.
A budget of P50 billion, with P7.9 billion as part of the FLR funds, has been allocated in the 2022 GAA for the provision of the One COVID-19 Allowance, the DOH said.
“However, considering the expected high number of eligible health workers, the DOH is constantly in coordination with the Department of Finance to ensure that the remaining P2 billion currently lodged as unprogrammed funds will be prioritized to ensure the implementation of the OCA until the state of national emergency has been lifted,” the DOH added.
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