Hospitalization aid for government workers proposed

THE CITY Council approved on first reading a proposed ordinance providing employees hospitalization assistance for all bonafide officials and employees of the local government.

Authored by Councilor Leandro B. Yangot, Jr., the ordinance states the local legislative measure is to set up a hospitalization program to help employees meet hospitalization costs over and above the medicare benefits provided them by other health insurance firms.

Yangot added all officials and employees whose positions are permanent, temporary and casual under item wages, both appointive and elective of the local government shall be covered with the provision of the needed hospitalization assistance.

However, exempted from the coverage of this ordinance are consultants or experts employed by the local government for a number of period to perform special tasks or services with specific results and students or labourers, apprentices and others with similar situations and labourers hired as a part of a job contract chargeable against projects and those paid under special programs or projects of the city and all researchers employed by the city under special programs.

Under the proposed ordinance, hospital bills include doctor’s fees, room charges, operating room charges, medicines, laboratory fees and other hospital charges, all of which shall be included in the bills of the patients.

The ordinance explained in order to avail of the hospitalization assistance, the employee must be confined for at least two days due to sickness or accidents at the Baguio General Hospital and Medical Center (BGHMC).

The amount of the benefit will be based on the balance of actual expenses after deducting the Medicare benefits, but not more than P5,000 while hospitalization benefit can only be availed once in a calendar year

The department head will issue a certification as to the confinement of the official

or employee which will serve as one of the supporting documents in the payment of the hospital bills while the concerned office will prepare necessary documents and process the payment vouchers of the hospital benefits and payment of the bills be made directly to the concerned hospital.

Yangot proposed the cost of the program will be charged against the employees hospitalization program and with an annual appropriation of at least P10 million.

He argued the local government is composed of highly dedicated public servants and due to the nature of their assigned duties and responsibilities, a good number of them are reportedly hospitalized annually due to work-related stress, thus, in appreciation of the sacrifices of the people who run the day-to-day affairs of the city, it is but appropriate to provide them hospitalization assistance to at least alleviate their condition as hospitalization comes as an extra expense to the unsung heroes in the local government. Dexter See/PIO