DOH to expedite release of add’l funds for health workers’ benefits

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Health (DOH) Wednesday said it would hasten the transfer of additional funds to the implementing units and facilities for the release of the unpaid benefits to eligible healthcare workers.

This after the DOH in a statement, announced that the Department of Budget and Management (DBM) has released P1.04 billion for the payment of the remaining 55,211 unpaid Special Risk Allowance (SRA) for health workers, and P11.5 Billion for the for the payment of 1,617,660 unpaid One COVID-19 allowance covering January 2022 to June 2022.

“The DOH will exhaust all efforts to expedite the process of transferring these funds to our implementing units and facilities for the immediate release to all eligible HCWs,” said DOH.

The department then explained that it is now preparing sub-allotment guidelines and has informed regional counterparts to prepare the necessary paperwork and documents for a quick disbursement of the released funds.

“Additional funding is also needed to cover for services rendered from July 2021 to present pursuant to Republic Act No. 11712 otherwise known as the ‘Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act,’” said DOH.

DOH officer in charge Maria Rosario Vergeire then vowed that the DOH will expand all efforts to “compensate our dear healthcare workers for their unwavering service” during the pandemic.

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JPV