DOH appeals for health workers’ benefits fund

Department of Health Officer-in-Charge Maria Rosario Vergeire —Noy Morcoso/INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO

The Department of Health (DOH) on Friday said it would ask Congress for additional funding after some P57 billion was cut by the budget agency for the emergency benefits and allowances of health-care workers for next year.

Under the national expenditure program, the DOH is set to receive about P20 billion in funding for the provision of emergency benefits of health-care workers, but its officer in charge, Maria Rosario Vergeire, said this was way below the allocation they had asked.

“We will appeal to the Congress if they could add more [funding] so we could continue to provide benefits for our health workers,” Vergeire said at a press briefing.

According to her, a total allocation of P301 billion has been proposed for the DOH and its attached agencies and corporations for 2023.

Among the DOH’s priority programs is the national healthcare workforce support system, which would get P17 billion in funding. This is on top of the P20 billion that would be set aside from emergency allowances such as the One COVID-19 Allowance (OCA) and Health Emergency Allowance (HEA).

The health undersecretary identified the other priority funding for the health sector, namely premium subsidy for the Philippine Health Insurance Corp. (P100 billion); hospital operations (P45 billion); public health programs for tuberculosis, cancer, human immunodeficiency virus, mental health and other illnesses (24 billion); health facilities enhancement program (P23 billion); and medical assistance for indigent patients (P22 billion).

The Congress has started its deliberations on the P5.268-trillion national budget for 2023.

On Thursday, members of the Alliance of Health Workers staged a protest to demand the immediate release of their delayed OCA and HEA.

“Our monthly salaries can hardly cover our daily expenses for food, transportation, utilities and education of our children especially now that the cost of living is rising. Allowances like OCA and HEA are additional earnings to make both ends meet,” said Edwin Pacheco, president of National Kidney and Transplant Institute Employees Association. INQ

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