Qualified medical frontliners in Cebu City to get cash incentives

SELECTED medical frontliners from government hospitals and health units in Cebu City will receive cash incentives from the government.

The City Council has approved a resolution allocating P37 million for the special risk allowance and hazard pay of medical frontliners in the fight against the coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19).

City Councilor Raymond Alvin Garcia, committee on budget and finance chairman, said recipients are medical frontliners from the Cebu City Medical Center, Guba Hospital, City Health Department (CHD) and barangay health workers (BHWs).

The amount was downloaded to the City Government from the Department of Health.

CHD officer-in-charge Jeffrey Ibones said chosen medical frontliners will receive not more than P3,000 per month as hazard pay and P5,000 as special risk allowance.

Ibones said the period covered is from Sept. 15, 2020 to Dec. 15.

Ibones said they are still evaluating who among the medical frontliners will receive the special risk allowance and hazard pay.

He said the special risk allowance will only be given to frontliners who handled patients infected with Covid-19 during the months covered.

“There will be some who can receive both hazard pay and risk allowance, while others can only receive the hazard pay. That will still undergo validation,” he said.

Ibones said the hospital administrator of the two hospitals will conduct the validation and submit the list of qualified medical workers to the City Government.

Ibones said they will be strict in validating who will be given the special risk allowance, especially among BHWs assigned in Barangay Isolation Centers.

He said they will check their daily time record, among others. /