P76.1-B Covid-19 allowance released for health workers
A total of P76.1 billion in health emergency allowance has been released by the Department of Health to eligible public and private health workers.
The DoH said this was payment for the 8,549,207 claims covering 1 July 2021 to 20 July 2023.
The General Appropriations Act set aside only P19.9 billion for the HEA under programmed appropriations for 2024, of which the DoH has already released 99 percent, or about P19.7 billion.
“The DoH still requires an estimated P27 billion to pay the arrears filed by the health facilities,” it said in a statement.
The DoH has been working with private and local government-owned hospitals and health facilities through its Centers for Health Development in the regions.
The law requires the DoH to have memoranda of agreement and to wait for the complete liquidation by the local government units and private hospitals of HEA funds already paid before additional funds can be released.
“The department has a list of these hospitals and health facilities with outstanding liquidation requirements,” it said. “We continue to work hand-in-hand with the Department of Budget and Management to grant HEAs to all eligible health workers.”
Lauded
The Alliance of Health Workers lauded the release of the Covid-19 allowances.
“The release of the HEA is a significant victory for our health workers who have been at the forefront of the battle against the Covid-19 pandemic,” AHW said in a statement.
“These dedicated individuals have worked selflessly to provide care and support to patients, often putting their own health and their family’s safety at risk,” it added.
DBM requires allowance mapping
Meanwhile, the DBM said Wednesday that the DoH is still validating healthcare worker benefits under the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances program despite the agency releasing funds for 2021 to 2023.
In a letter to the DBM dated 13 March, Health Undersecretary Ma. Carolina Vidal-Taiño said the DoH has yet to complete the health HEA mapping, which the DBM recommended.
The DBM and DoH earlier suggested the development of a “HEA mapping” that will capture and present all PHEBA claims and payments by regional/health facilities for the period covered by the benefit.
Both agencies earlier agreed that the DoH must urgently finalize the computation of the HEA claims in arrears to enable the DBM to determine if additional funding requirements are necessary despite the cumulative release of funds for healthcare and non-healthcare workers.