Close to P9-B Covid-19 risk allowance for HCWs released: DOH

MANILA – A health official on Thursday said the PHP8.8 billion funds for the special risk allowance (SRA) of public and private healthcare workers (HCWs) caring or in contact with coronavirus disease 2019 (Covid-19) patients have already been released.

“Ang nakatanggap po niyan both public and private healthcare workers, contractual man o plantilla, nasa 400,000 po (About 400,000 public and private healthcare workers, contractual or plantilla, have received that),” Health Undersecretary Leopoldo Vega said in a television interview.

On June 1, Administrative Order (AO) No. 42 which authorizes the continued grant of Covid-19 SRA which was previously provided in AO 36, series of 2020, was published.

The AO warrants the further grant of the SRA amid the continuing state of public health emergency.

The SRA amounts to PHP5,000 monthly. It is pro-rated based on the number of days that the public and private HCWs physically report for work in a month as certified by the head of the hospital, laboratory, or medical and quarantine facility.

“So, naibigay na po lahat ‘yan, downloaded or allocated na ‘yan sa different regional health offices para sa public, sa LGU [local government units] and para sa mga (So, it has been downloaded or allocated to different regional health offices, LGUs, and for) private hospitals,” Vega said.

The Department of Budget and Management releases the funds to the Department of Health for the payment of Covid-19 SRA to qualified public and private health care workers.