DoH eyes benefits for health workers with mild cases
We are currently studying the recommendations that we will pursue under the second phase of the Bayanihan law whether we will include additional incentives not just for severe and critical cases (among health workers)
The Department of Health (DoH) on Thursday said that it will study recommendations adding health workers with mild COVID-19 cases as recipients of benefits.
In a media briefing, Health Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire said that the suggestion may be raised in the second implementation of the Bayanihan to Heal As One Act.
Vergeire explained that among the prohibiting factors at present is that initially the first Bayanihan to Heal As One Act only referred to severe and critical patients.
“This is what we all want, but we are limited by the law,” she said.
Vergeire said it is necessary to first determine where the allocation of the funds will be coming from before implementing these provisions.
“We are currently studying the recommendations that we will pursue under the second phase of the Bayanihan law whether we will include additional incentives not just for severe and critical cases (among health workers),” she said.
Initially, the first Bayanihan to Heal As One Act mandated a P100,000 cash incentive for critically ill patients while P1 million is provided to the bereaved families should the health workers die due to COVID-19.
Meanwhile, for the contact tracers, Vergeire said that the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG) — being the lead agency in contact tracing — is likewise awaiting the approval of more funds.
She said that according to DILG Secretary Eduardo Año more contact tracers will be hired to ramp up the country’s tracing efforts.
At present, Vergeire said that DILG has around 73,985 contact tracers nationwide as the DoH added 8,786 nurses under the Nurses Deployment Program to also assist in tracing.