THE delay in the release of Covid-19-related allowances for health workers may be due in part to the hospitals’ failure to submit lists of health workers qualified to receive the government’s Health Emergency Allowance (HEA).
Department of Health (DOH) 7 Director Jaime Bernadas pointed out that hospitals are responsible for validating and submitting these lists.
The agency’s role is to facilitate these requests, he said. That’s why the government or the health agency should not be blamed.
“The problem lies in the process of claiming at hospitals, submitting their claims, and validating those claims,” he said on Oct. 2, 2023.
Bernadas also clarified that while hospitals received an initial release, some were unable to receive subsequent releases because they were not able to liquidate the initial release.
“When it comes to liquidating their releases, that’s where the issue arises. They have already received funds, but they cannot liquidate them, preventing further disbursements. Additionally, they cannot receive additional funding until they have liquidated the initial one,” he said.
He said there are individuals pressing for the HEA release, even in cases where the hospital has not submitted a list of beneficiaries.
“We are indeed ready to release the HEA, but we are facing compliance issues with the hospitals,” Bernadas said in Cebuano.
Bernadas said they he will furnish VoxPop Cebu with documents containing specific figures. However, as of press time, VoxPop Cebu has yet to receive these documents.
Last September, the United Private Hospitals Union of the Philippines lodged a complaint against DOH regional offices with the Anti-Red Tape Authority for the delayed disbursement of P5.8 billion in allowances for over 53,000 Covid-19 pandemic medical frontliners.
The group cited Republic Act (RA) 11032, or the Ease of Doing Business and Efficient Government Service Delivery Act of 2018.
It also sent a letter to the DOH 7 dated Sept. 28 regarding the matter.
In a response letter signed by Bernadas, the DOH 7 said it already disbursed 99.5 percent of the allocated P1,850,788,660.23 for non-healthcare workers in public and private hospitals in the region.
These funds were distributed to 1,657 approved HEA beneficiaries, representing 253 public and private health facilities in the region, with DOH hospitals and treatment and rehabilitation centers excluded, the letter said.
Out of this total, P558,409,937.50 was disbursed to support 289 approved HEA beneficiaries from private health facilities.
“Despite this progress, there remain 929 unpaid approved HEAs with 225 from private facilities. This amount is expected to increase as validation report is still ongoing,” Bernadas said in the letter.
Under RA 11712, or the Public Health Emergency Benefits and Allowances for Health Care Workers Act, both healthcare and non-healthcare workers at medical facilities, vaccination sites, Covid-19 response teams, as well as village health workers are eligible for HEA each month during public health emergencies.
The allowance varies according to the risk category: P3,000 for individuals in low-risk areas; P6,000 for individuals in minimum-risk areas; and P9,000 for individuals in high-risk areas.
Last July in his State of the Nation Address (Sona), President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. pledged to provide healthcare workers with special allowances and benefits as a token of appreciation for their dedication during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In order to repay the sacrifices made by our health workers in private and public hospitals during the pandemic, their Covid-19 health emergency allowances and other pending benefits will be distributed to them,” Marcos said.
Marcos already lifted the nationwide health emergency, but some health workers are still waiting for their overdue allowances.