Quimbo: Only 73% of healthcare workers received benefits, so who dropped the ball?

FILE PHOTO: Marikina 2nd District Rep. Stella Quimbo delivers a privilege speech on November 16, 2020, at the House of Representatives. (File) Photo from the House of Representatives

MANILA, Philippines — Amid the issue of some healthcare workers not receiving allowance and benefits, Marikina City Rep. Stella Luz Quimbo had one question for the Department of Health (DOH): “Who dropped the ball?”

During the briefing of the House committee on accounts, Quimbo pointed out that based on the presentation of the DOH and the data provided to the bicameral conference committee, only 73 percent of eligible healthcare workers in the country received allowance and benefits as provided by Bayanihan 2.

“Anong nangyari doon sa 27 percent of the workers, which is about 150,000 workers na hindi nakatanggap ng kahit ano? At malamang sa malamang, ito ang dahilan kung bakit nagkakaroon ng pagbabanta ng pag-mass leave,” Quimbo said.

(What happened to the 27 percent of the workers, which is about 150,000 workers who did not get anything? And most probably, this is the reason why there is a threat of mass leave.)

“Anong nangyari sa 150,000 workers na hindi nakatanggap considering that maliwanag sa batas na lahat ng healthcare workers ay dapat makatanggap. We did not discriminate against public or private or against any kind of healthcare worker,” she added.

(What happened to the 150,000 workers who did not get anything considering that the law clearly stated that all healthcare workers should get [benefits].)

Quimbo said that based on the data submitted by the DOH to the bicameral conference committee for Bayanihan 2, there are 526,547 eligible healthcare workers to receive the allowances.

With this number, Quimbo said each healthcare worker should receive around P25,000 given that P13.4 billion was allotted for the allowances.

“Bakit hindi nyo na lang dinistribute ang P25,000 sa kada isa sa [526,000] which you intended to cover? Anong nangyari? Who dropped the ball? Saan tayo nagkulang?” Quimbo said.

(Why did not you distribute the P25,000 each for the 526,000 which you intended to cover? What happened? Who dropped the ball? Where did we lack?)

DOH Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega hinted there may have been changes in the numbers upon verification of the hospitals’ management.

“‘Yung number na ‘yun, siguro pag-validate ng hospitals and through the regions and sent to us, these were the only recognized as validated healthcare workers directly handling COVID,” Vega said.

(That number, if the hospitals and through the regions validate this and send to us, there were the only recognized as validated healthcare workers directly handling COVID.)

Further, Vega said a computation also followed as to the special risk allowance given to healthcare workers.

“That’s the reason why not everybody will receive a maximum of P5,000 per month kasi there’s a computation for the number of days they have to be handling COVID,” Vega said.

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JPV